Planets of War
by Antares700
Summary: Black Doom is dead and the Black Arms scattered, but something still bothers Shadow. Something's still out there, and he thinks that it may come back to haunt him. And he's right!
1. Prolouge to madness

Stars Align

**Planets of War**

Proxima Centauri region. 46 standard years ago.

Deep in space, the starship _Shine_, a small grey and red Black Arms fighter, was traveling through space. Traveling at an alarming rate pursued by a much larger ship. The _Shrine _was taking heavy damage as the larger ship pounded it with a barrage of cannons.

In its cockpit, a light green fox was wrestling with the ship's controls, attempting to get it back on course. The fox was female, with her hair tied back in a ponytail reaching down to her tail. Her face looked young, as did her body, and beautiful beyond description. She wore a skintight suit, over which she'd draped a synthetic jacket. Despite her efforts, the ship continued to slow, and the larger battleship gained on them.

"Mercury!" she yelled behind her. A second figure came into the cockpit. It was a male cat, grey furred with a similar suit, except his was covered by a black cloak. His boots made a distinct metal clink on the floor, as if the sole was made of metal. "We can't shake them! Jupiter's got to us too quick after we made the jump." The cat, Mercury, groaned.

"4 light years out, we're so close!" he looked over at the control panel. "Can we make another jump yet?" Another direct hit rocked the ship, nearly knocking the two animals over. The fox grabbed hold of her seat to steady herself.

"I don't think the _Shrine _is ever going to make another jump!" She pointed to a readout of the ship's engines. "We've lost nearly all our fuel and two of the back thrusters." She sighed. "We're either going to have to fight, or flee." Mercury shook his head.

"Venus, neither of those are options! Jupiter aboard that destroyer and who know how many spawn. The only way to flee is in the escape pods, and they'll take too long to reach Earth." He banged his fist against the wall. "We've lost!" Suddenly one of the video screens on the windscreen lit up. On it was the face of a red and orange eagle.

"Starship _Shrine_, stop any attempts to escape or prepare to be boarded." The eagle said bluntly.

"Let's think, no!" Mercury retorted. The eagle appeared to sigh.

"Mercury, Venus, please don't do this. I don't want to destroy my own brother and sister, so just hand yourself over and return the control system. I promise I won't hurt you."

"Jupiter, please listen to us!" Venus pleaded. "You can't let Black Doom get this controller! It will condemn an entire planet to hell. We can't let that happen, can you." The eagle sighed again, putting his head in one hand.

"Another's life is not worth more than mine, and that should be how you see yours. Black Doom kills any who disobey him, even you. So you are refusing to surrender? Very well, prepare to be boarded."

"No, wait…" Venus said, but Jupiter cut the connection. The fox slumped in her seat. "I guess that settles it. We're on our own and screwed," she turned to Mercury, who was staring out into the stars. "I hope you know what you're doing." Mercury looked down, pulling his hood over his face to hide his face.

"I've lost my family today, and I've caused you to lose yours as well." He stopped for a second, unable to go on. After a second he composed himself. "You shouldn't have followed me. Tell Jupiter I forced you to help, he may…"

"No you don't!" Venus cut him off. "We're in this together, no matter what happens!" There was the sound of shrieking metal from the cabin behind them.

"Looks like they're here." The two moved from the cockpit into the main cabin. Compared to the cramped cockpit, the main cabin was very open. Corridors led off to the sleeping quarters and the engine compartment. To one side was a one man escape pod.

The roof was glowing red as the metal was cut through by a laser. The two figures waited under it, not acting to stop it, as they knew it was impossible. The roof turned from red to white as the heat increased. Venus turned to her companion.

"Mercury, there's something I have to tell you."

"What is…mmmff?!" the cat's remark was smothered as Venus kissed him under his hood. Mercury was stunned, and Venus pressed him against the wall, kissing him more passionately. Her hands fumbled on a button on the wall, finally typing the release code. The door behind Mercury opened and Venus pushed him into the escape pod. Mercury stumbled back and landed on the floor. The green fox threw something into the pod beside him. It resembled a TV controller, but with many more buttons on both sides. A small screen with the glowing outline of a hedgehog took up half of the item top.

"What are you doing?!" Mercury yelled as he tried to right himself. Parts of the cabin's roof were beginning to collapse under the heat.

"I'm sorry Mercury." Venus whispered.

"No!" Mercury tried to jump out of the pod, but Venus waved her hand in his direction. Instantly, the metallic grey cat was thrown back by an increase in the air pressure on his body. The pressure remained, like a block of lead weighing down on his body, preventing him from rising. Venus tapped a few keys on the pod's navigator. "Please don't do this, Venus," Mercury pleaded. "Please!"

"We have to stop from getting that controller and destroying that planet. If that means I lose my life, so be it." She couldn't meet Mercury's desperate gaze. "The chamber can only support one life." She hit the last button and the escape pods door shut. Mercury dived at the door, trying to pry it open with his claws. Venus smiled through the one glass window. "I love you." Then the pod ejected, throwing it's precious cargo out at one tenth the speed of light.

At the same moment as Mercury's pod left the _Shrine_, the cabin's roof collapsed and the first of the boarders came in. Venus swung round, bringing her hand up as instinct at the first three spawn came through the hole. They were hulking red and black beasts, head and shoulders taller than the fox, with bulging muscles and little brain. Each was armed with a standard Black Arms laser.

Using her powers over heat and pressure, Venus sent two of the intruders into the wall hard enough to knock a bull spawn senseless. The last was hit by a scorching heat wave, so hot it's brain shut down as a general defense mechanism. Two more grunts tried to get down, but as they did they began to float. Reduced pressure had made them near weightless. It took a few seconds for them to adjust, and in that few seconds they were hit by Venus' fists and feet, knocking them beyond recovery.

"Come on Jupiter!" she called angrily up the hole. "Come down here and fight me like a man!" In answer, a rusty red wolf came down, dodging Venus' first attempts to attack him. The wolf was only a bit taller than Mercury, but much more muscular. His suit, identical to Mercury and Venus' was torn to show his strong upper body. An energy sword was strapped to his back and two hunting knives hung off a belt.

"Hello Venus," the wolf said, grinning to show a row of razor sharp teeth.

"I expected better of you Mars," Venus said. "You let the grunts come down first." The fox moved as Mars lunged at her again.

"Boss' orders," Mars told her. "Didn't want to lose his best troop first." He feinted, then struck to her right. Venus predicted this and dodged again, this time sending a heat wave towards him. The attack connected and the canine roared in pain. "You little…" Mars snarled. He pulled the energy sword off his back and held it like a giant toy. It began to ripple with electricity running along its edge. "Now where's mini Merc? I've been looking forward to kicking old metal man's ass. Come on, where is he?" Venus smiled and pointed to the empty escape pod bay.

"Him and the controller's gone," she said, smiling at the look of shock on Mars' face. "Guess who have to report to Black Doom that it's gone."

"Rhaargh!" Mars screamed in rage. He charged recklessly at the green fox. Venus sidestepped the wolf, and then slammed her palm into the side of his head. Her strength combined with her power of pressure, created enough force to send Mars off his feet and cart wheeling into the wall. Hard.

"Is this the best you can do?" she mocked. "Honestly, I might have well kept the controller with me."  
"It's gone?!" a voice boomed. Venus spun to face the new voice. A giant eagle, red and orange streaked feathers with gold eyes, floated down slowly from the above ship. He was at least a head taller then the average spawn, literally towering over Venus like a skyscraper. Like the other, he wore a black skintight suit, but on that were pinned many medals. His gloves and were metal and his long boots were of the same material. Sparks seemed between to fly between his fingers. Round his neck was a chain of different symbols.

The eagle landed and began to walk slowly towards Venus. Automatically, Venus began to back away out of fear. "Where is the controller Venus?!" he boomed. His voice sounded somewhere between the sudden crack of thunder and the steady roll of a drum.

"You'll never find it Jupiter." Venus spat. "It's long gone by now, and with Mercury guarding it you'll never get it back." Jupiter raised his hand. Venus tried to dive away, but she was too slow. Bolts of lightning moved from the Jupiter's hand across the cabin into the fox's body. She snapped upright, all her muscles spasming as the current passed through her body. As it left her she fell limp to the floor, her body exhausted.

Jupiter walked over to her unconscious form, giving Mars a kick as he passed. The wolf moaned slightly, but didn't stir. "Oh get up you useless excuse for a soldier," he said to Mars. He looked down at Venus. "Sister, what did he do to merit such trust from you?"

Far from the _Shrine _and it's captive, Mercury continued to pound on the door even though he knew it was hopeless. He mind couldn't compute what had just happened, what Venus had done to him.

"Why?" he whimpered. "Why are you doing this to me, Venus?" His mind began to cloud over as the cryogenics used to save those who had to use the escape pods kicked in. His cloak swirling around him, the grey cat fell to ground. His last thought before his mind stopped was of his target, Doom's son, Shadow.


	2. Strange Visitor

Westopolis park, Earth

Westopolis park, Earth. Present day.

It was past midnight, a time when most people would either be asleep or wishing they were. Shadow was an exception. He was standing in the park, staring at the sky. The park had been re-grown after the Black Arms attack had decimated the city in their invasion. Visible shudders ran through the ebony hedgehog as he remembered what had occurred in that space of time, what he'd done. Being near nature worked to calm his nerves, even if it was only the park in a metropolis.

But now that was behind him, he was working as an agent for GUN as a sort of penance for his past sins. He'd left all memory of his past behind him, destroyed along with the Black Comet. Or so he'd thought.

'_Why am I still thinking about this?'_ Shadow thought to himself. _'They're gone! Maria, Gerald, Black Doom and all his children. I need to move on, but…' _he sighed. _Something's nagging at me, something I need to remember. Maybe I'll just check GUN for my past. Again!' _He sighed, pulling his mobile from his belt and hitting the first speed dial. After a few seconds, a layered, mellow, female voice answered.

"Hey Shadow, what's up?" she said. Rouge the bat was Shadow's partner with GUN. She usually worked nights if she was on office duty. Said it made it less stressful.

"Can you check the Black Arms records for me?" he asked.

"Again?" Rouge sighed. "We've checked them already, every month. Checking them again isn't going to make any new evidence appear. The Black Arms are gone, and they aren't going to come back."

"Do you have something better to do Rouge?" Shadow asked bluntly. He could picture the bat's highlighted eyes darken. He looked up into the sky, his eyes tracing over the constellations as he stifled a chuckle. A meteor flew overhead, streaking as it burned on entry to the atmosphere.

"Fine," she said. Her tone betrayed her frustration. "But this means you're taking me to dinner."

"What?!" Shadow couldn't help exclaiming. Laughter echoed from the other end. "Rouge!!"

"Oh come on Shadow," she said soothingly. "Have a sense of humor, why don't you." She giggled in an annoying girly fashion.

"OK, deal!" Shadow said with a smile. "I take you out to dinner after you search the files again, and…" he stopped and looked at the meteor he'd spotted before. It was coming in close, heading straight for the middle of the park. It was larger then Shadow had assumed as well, at least the size of his office at GUN headquarters.

"And what Shad? Shad?"

"What the hell is…?"

_Crash!_

The meteorite crash landed into one of the park's oldest trees, one that had magically survived the Black Arms many bombardments. Now it fell, landing straight into the centre lake with a loud splash. Shadow was running over the water on his air shoes, making a b-line for the crash site.

"Shadow, what in Chaos' name was that?!" Rouge swore on the water god of destruction. She'd been spending a lot of time with the Echidna, Knuckles.

"I don't know, but it took out part of the park. I think it's a meteorite but…" he stopped as he came to the side of the crater. In it's centre was a egg-shaped metal container at least as big as a car. It looked like a rocket, except that there was a door and a window on it. The door was blasted open, and someone had been thrown out of the pod. Shadow couldn't make it out because it was wearing a long black cloak, but he could make out the symbol on the side of the pod. It had a circular centre, covered by a crescent moon. Along the outer edge of the moon were five spikes, getting progressively bigger towards the crescents zenith. Shadow had only seen that symbol once before. It had been one of the charms that had hung of the alien ruler of the Black Arms, Black Doom.

It was the sign of the Black Arms armada.

The backstreets of Westopolis were once considered a place to avoid. After it was annihilated, the government put billions of dollars into rebuilding the city exactly as it was. Right down to the cramped skyscrapers and the slums. Whoever was in charge of the recovery project deserved to be stuffed with the paper he wasted to come up with the idea. The only good thing that came out of it was that the retail was cheap, dirt cheap. This was the only reason that Miles Prower, nickname Tails, had his lab there.

At two thirty, Tails' phone began to ring. Tails was lying over one of his workbenches, half a new gadget in his hands. He groaned softly.

"Ienzo, get the phone," he told his roommate. Hidden under a sea of formulae and equations, a raven's head surfaced. The bird's feathers were dark metallic purple and ruffled beyond compare. A scar ran over his right eye and a pair of small spectacles sat low on his beak.

"Get it yourself," Ienzo squawked grumpily. "It's most likely one of your friends." His head disappeared below his papers again.

"5 bucks says it's not Sonic," the kitsune said, knowing that his friend couldn't resist a bet. Ienzo made a rude gesture in the fox's direction, but got up and answered the phone.

"If this is a telemarketer, prepare to have your balls shocked off in a few seconds," he thought for a few seconds, and then added more. "And if that's Sonic, expect worse."

"Ienzo, this is Shadow," the purple raven dropped his head in his hand.

"Shadow, we've had the conversation before: normal people aren't awake at," Ienzo check his watch. "Two thirty in the morning."

"Listen, are you and Tails up to look at something I found. I think it's from space." Ienzo sighed. He knew that Shadow wouldn't stop pestering them until they at least had a look at it. The guy may be GUN best agent, but he certainly had some psychological problems, especially about space.

"Fine, bring it round the back door, it's unlocked." Ienzo was about to collapse where he stood when there was the bang of the back door being knocked in by a fast moving hedgehog. The noise made both of the scientists jump enough to wake them up. Tails made another unpronounceable noise and rubbed his head where he'd banged it on the desk.

"You made him do that on purpose, didn't you!" the fox accused Ienzo.

"Shut up Tails," he retorted. "It's Shadow with more space junk. Let's just check it out so we can go back to sleep." Silently agreeing, Tails followed the raven into the back room where Shadow was standing.

"OK Shadow, let's see what you…" Ienzo trailed off as he saw that Shadow was supporting a cloaked figure. The being's hood had fallen down to reveal a grey furred cat's head. It's eyes were closed but it seemed to be breathing.

"What is it Ienz…" Tails stopped as he too spotted the cat. The two of them stared at it like dumbstruck fish until finally Shadow grew impatient.

"Well are you going to help me or just stand there for the rest of the night?"


	3. Not what it seems

The three of them moved the supposed alien into the examination room Tails had built into the workshop

The three of them moved the supposed alien into the examination room Tails had built into the workshop. It was filled with state of the art medical equipment, all able to be controlled with less than a millimeter's inaccuracy from a chamber overlooking the central table. All of them were in this room when Rouge arrived.

"What have we discovered boys?" Rouge asked in an ordering tone. Ienzo cringed as she entered. She was openly hostile towards him since he'd won a large deal of money at a poker game, and she took it out on him whenever she came round. Which was often since Shadow crashed at his house whenever Rouge kicked him out of Club Rouge and she had to pick him up for missions. Thankfully for him, Tails answered her.

"Well, it's male, roughly around fifteen and a natural cat."

"So what, I can tell all of that from here," she said angrily. "I need you to tell me if it's Black Arms or not. Can you?" she said, aiming to comment at Ienzo's back.

"Oh give me a break already why don't you. It's three in the morning, what do you expect me to know?!"

"More then this in the half hour I've given you, now hurry up."

"Hey, you want answers?!" Ienzo snapped. "You try to work out what this thing is. None of our instruments will go near it. It's like the guy has some sort of magnetic barrier around him."

"Have you tried going in yourselves?" All three of the boys looked at her like she was growing horns.

"Are you mad?!" Tails exclaimed. "That thing could kill us!" He looked over at Shadow. "Well, most of us anyway." He looked down into the chamber at the strange visitor. "I wonder who he is, wherever he comes from."

"I don't care Tails," Rouge said bluntly. "Just tell me how can we find out if he's some Black Arms spy?" Tails sighed in a disheartened manner.

"We could do a Chaos test," he proposed. Rouge just stared at him, waiting for him to explain like he usually did. "Different creatures react to Chaos emeralds in different ways. If he has Black Arms DNA, like Shadow does, then if he's near a chaos emerald he should appear hungry and attempt to get more of the energy. If not, then he's something else. Shadow, if you would." The black hedgehog nodded and walked down into the examination room. From inside it looked a lot more threatening than from the safe control room. The tinted windows and bare white walls made anyone inside feel isolated. The sharp surgical tools hanging from the roof by mechanical hands didn't exactly lighten the mood either.

"Just having the emerald near him should give us enough of an idea as to whether he's reacting or not," Tails voice said over the intercom. Shadow pulled out his Chaos emerald: a large, perfectly cut gem that seemed to radiate power. He tried to approach the table, but as he did he felt his feet, or more specifically his shoes, being pushed out from under him. The force was strong, and managed to send his feet back far enough for him to fall flat on his face.

"What's wrong Shadow?" he heard Rouge from the other room. "You seem a bit down." The hedgehog seethed softly and kicked his shoes off. Now barefoot, he strode unhindered to the grey cat, holding up the Chaos emerald towards him.

For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the cat's body began to shiver, then spasm violently. His fingers clenched and all the metal instruments flew as far as they could in any direction, pushed by unseen forces. Shadow heard his air shoes clattering round the side of the room. Then he saw the cat's eyes flash open. It's eyes were grey like his fur and seemed lifeless. Suddenly it's back arched violently and a scream of high and unnatural proportions left it's lips. More spasms followed and the magnetic objects in the room began to act as if they were in the middle of a hurricane, tearing the room to shreds. Shadow disintegrated anything that came close to him with quick blasts of chaos. He noticed that every time he did this, the creature seemed to get hit with another wave of pain.

"For God's sake Shadow, stop it!" Ienzo screeched. "You're going to kill him!" Shadow complied and used chaos control to send himself out of the room. The cat gave one last scream of pain, and then lay limp on the table. The objects that had been flying around him dropped as well, creating a racket as they hit the floor.

In the control room, Rouge, Tails and Ienzo were staring down with looks of horror, wonder and surprise plastered on their faces. Shadow walked in and waited, knowing they'd recover from their stunned states eventually. Finally Tails spoke.

"Well, I guess it's not Black Arms then."

"So what do we do now?" Ienzo thought out loud.

"Now we tell GUN what's…"

"No!" Shadow said sternly. Rouge looked at him curiously. "We don't know who this guy is, and you know what the government does to aliens. Especially aliens they consider dangerous." He didn't need to tell them who he was referring to.

"Fine, we wait till he wakes up. But after that we call HQ." Shadow walked up to Rouge, using his height to tower over her.

"Sure thing Boss," he said, sneering. Then he walked out without another word, Rouge hot on his heels.

"Hey! Don't you dare leave me like that!" she stormed at him. "Where are you going? Wait up!" Tails and Ienzo looked like stunned mullets for the third time in less then an hour.

"Did Shadow just make a joke?" Ienzo asked the two tailed fox.

"It's before three Ienzo," he replied. "I think my brain stopped working properly. Either that or the world is different this early."

Mercury felt feeling return slowly through his head. His limbs and torso soon followed until he was sure his entire body had awoken from it's cold induced slumber. Everything hurt, which was strange as he was sure he hadn't been in a fight before he fell asleep. He didn't open his eyes just yet, waiting to make sure he was ready for whatever faced him.

_"Why was I asleep?"_ he wondered. _"I don't remember feeling low on power. And why can't I move my arms?"_ He tried to lift his right arm, but something was holding it down. Then he realized that he was lying on his back on something cold and hard. Something that felt impossibly similar to a lab table.

_"Doom damn it! Why does this always happen?!"_ The cat finally opened his eyes. He was in the middle of an operating room, white and foreboding. The room looked like a pack of tigers had been trapped inside, and hadn't liked being there. The padding of the walls had been torn apart by multiple sharp objects. As he'd expected, he was tied down on a table by plastic strips. A tinted window high is one wall told him someone was watching him discreetly. He banged his head on the tabletop, making a loud clang.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?!" he called in the general direction of the window. His heightened senses heard muffled movement nearby. Then and intercom activated and a young male voice sounded.

"Just stay where you are please," it asked in a high, innocent tone. "We can tell you what's going on in just a second." The machine shut off again and Mercury heard more sounds outside. He used the time to examine what remained of his memory. The deep freeze chamber must have damaged his mind from severe exposure.

_"Freeze chamber? Why the hell was I in a freeze chamber?!"_ Mercury thought of the possible suspects. Mars might have done it for kicks, but he doubted he was smart enough to outsmart one of the Black Arms greatest strategists. Or operate the cryogenics chamber properly. Maybe that's why he'd taken brain damage. Honestly if someone didn't put that wolf on a leash he was going to… wait who was Mars? And why did he expect him of being the culprit? Why couldn't he remember any…? He stopped mid thought as two figures walked through the far door. One was a purple raven, but the other was a young fox.

_"Venus?!" _he thought suddenly. A wave of memory washed over him like a tide. The theft, the escape, those final moments on the _Shrine_ all hit him at once. _"NO! This can't have happened!"_ Shadow's name popped into his head and something about him. Something about destroying him before he caused something unspeakable to happen. Mercury tried to rise again but the bindings held him down. _"Heh, these bindings can't hold me!"_ With a mighty pull he lifted both is arms up, breaking the bonds like toothpicks. Both the young scientists stopped in shock at the unexpected movement. Mercury used this gap to jump forward and disable the raven before he had a chance to move. A chop to the neck knocked him out in a second. The fox raised her, no his hands to defend himself against an attack.

_"Why is Venus afraid of me? Wait, who is Venus?! Why can't I remember anything?!" _He held out his hand to the fox, thinking it was what he remembered doing. But the fox shied away from him. Finally Mercury accepted that this wasn't the person he remembered and decided to see what they knew.

"Who is Shadow the Hedgehog?" he asked huskily, realizing how dry his throat felt. The fox looked surprised at the mention of the name.

"You know him?!" he asked back.

"I don't know, just tell me who he is!"

"He's the Ultimate life form, the Silhouette of Chaos created by Gerald Robotnic. He's also the one who rescued you from your crash."

"Is he related to Black Doom?" Mercury didn't know where the question came from, but the moment he heard it, it made sense. Again, the fox was taken aback by the connection.

"How could you know that? That's top secret, no one but us and the president knows." He took another step back. "You must be one of them, one of the Black Arms!" Fear welled in the orange fox's eyes until nothing else showed. "Why are you here?!"

"I must destroy Shadow, the son of Doom," Mercury said without thinking. Again, the sentence came unbidden but fit like a missing puzzle piece. "He will bring nothing but death and must be stopped." The fox stopped backing away and took up a rough battle stance, his fear mixing with determination.

"Shadow's my friend, I won't let you harm him," he said through trembling teeth. Mercury laughed as a natural urge at the small opponent's foolishness.

"You think you can stand against Mercury, first of the failures?!" He stopped, thinking quickly.

_"I am a failure? What the hell is that?!"_ Mercury's mind was spinning trying to make sense of what was going on. A fist in his gut brought him back to reality. The young fox had actually managed to land a blow on him, and a strong one at that. The cat stumbled back, and then fell naturally into a low stance, his hands crossed in front of his chest. His mind ran through the shards of memory he had to try and find a reason to fight the fox, and found none. His opponent charged again, two tails streaming out under his lab coat. On instinct, Mercury swung his leg round in a sweep, taking the kitsune's legs out from under him. The fox fell over, but got straight back up, running towards him again. Mercury sighed. He'd hoped the fight would be settled quickly and without any damage to the kid, but it was not to be. Raising his hands palm open, Mercury focused on one thing he did remember: his powers. Before the fox could reach him, everything made out of a metal was gathering round Mercury, held in place by his will. The fox stopped mid step, stumbling slightly.

"What are you?!" he gasped. Mercury smiled, showing his sharpened canines.

"You tell me Venus." The fox looked puzzled at being addressed by the name.

"I'm not Venus. I never heard of any Venus in my life." Mercury shook his head.

"Let me pass or I will hurt you," he threatened.

"I can't do that."

"Then you leave me no choice." With a flick of his wrist a dozen sharpened surgical implements flew towards the fox. At the last second Mercury reversed them so that they hit flat, bruising instead of impaling the fox. He stumbled back, coughing blood and collapsed. Mercury felt a slight pang of guilt about hurting the kid, but whatever he was doing had assured him that one two tailed fox's sore stomach was worth whatever his success would bring. Stepping over the two unconscious scientists, the grey cat left the lab and walked out into the streets.


	4. An unusual world

Shadow examined the wreck of what he now assumed was an extra terrestrial escape pods. One thruster poked out into the air with the nose buried deep into where the great oak had stood. The symbol on the door was still clearly visible.

A quick call to GUN had got the park quarantined without any questions, much to the distress of the early city dwellers out for a stroll. Soon there was a large group of people complaining loudly just over the hill. Shadow couldn't care less if a few mornings were ruined, there was a possible global disaster about to occur and these people were having a cry over a few acres of park. What was wrong with these people?

Shadow moved down into the pod. Inside was bare, with only one welded down chair and a metal box. The only interesting thing were the sets long gashes had been made in the back an along the edges of the door. These puzzled Shadow, as they indicated that someone had tried to get out of the pod.

"_Was that creature locked in here against his will? If so, why wasn't he bound?" _Shadow took a step back to get a closer look at the scratches. As he did so, his foot knocked against something on the floor, making a loud clang. He looked down to find what resembled a TV remote, except a million times more complex. Shadow tried to pick it up, but there were too many buttons to avoid, and he definitely didn't want to press any before he knew what it was.

"Hey Rouge," he called outside. "I think I've found something."

"'bout time!" Rouge said as she joined him inside. "What is it?"

"It looks like a controller of some sort. What do you think?"

"Whatever it is, it's sure complex," she said, examining it more closely. "I wonder what it does." She went to pick it up, but Shadow stopped her.

"It could activate something deadly," he warned her.

"Or it could be an extraterrestrial television remote." She went to grab it but Shadow snatched it from beneath her fingers. In doing so, he pressed a good half the buttons with his palm. The black hedgehog's body gave a violent spasm and he dropped the remote cursing.

"What the fuck was that?!" he cursed. Rouge took a closer look at the remote. He'd dropped it on the opposite side, so a screen with a glowing hedgehog on it was clearly visible. She poked one of the buttons. The cyber hedgehog's shoulder glowed. At the same time Shadow rolled his shoulder.

"_Interesting," _Rouge thought to herself.

"What's interesting?" Rouge was surprised that Shadow had read her so quickly, but she'd gotten used to these small unexpected skills of the ultimate life form. Maybe if he showed some sort of happy emotion, then she'd really be surprised.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think that this might be a Black Arms genetic controller."

"Meaning it controls Black Doom's DNA?" Shadow guessed. Rouge nodded.

"We found a few in the remains of the Black Comet, but never anything this advanced before. Usually all they have is a big button to stop the target's movement altogether. But this one seems to affect all of the movements precisely. I wonder why Black Doom didn't have one this advanced himself."

"Maybe he did." Shadow pointed to the gashes in the door. "Maybe he found it too dangerous to keep but needed it for the Earth invasion, and sent our grey friend to deliver it to him when the time was right." Rouge looked at him doubtfully.

"That's a bit of a stretch Shad, especially since it landed a good year off target."

"You got a better idea?" Rouge didn't, so she just pouted. "We'd better get Tails to look at it before we inform GUN." The bat nodded and both left the wreckage.

Mercury had to admit that he was lost. Everything here was unfamiliar to him: the buildings, the streets and the people. His scattered memories didn't help him as he looked over the masses of poor and homeless littered in the streets between massive stone skyscrapers. He'd asked a few people for help, but they all looked at him strangely and kept walking. Most of them were dressed in little more then rags. He guessed he did look a bit strange with his cloak and skintight suit. The inhabitants of this planet obviously had a different sense of style to wherever he came from.

"_So I'm from a different planet,"_ he thought as he continued to walk. _"That explains why no one recognizes me. I wonder if anyone from another planet is here. What did that fox call me, Black Arms. Sounds like the military."_ Mercury was so deep in thought that he didn't watch where he was going and tripped over someone sitting on the curb.

"Hey!" a female voice yelled as he tripped over the tightly wrapped figure. Mercury fell, but rolled through it to get up again.

"My apologies madam," he said, turning round. The girl he'd knocked over was a hedgehog with tarnished gold quills that hung down over her eyes. He guessed she was fourteen, but she was so malnourished that it was hard to tell and grime obscured her face. A torn shirt and jeans that were far too small were all that she wore besides her dirty blanket. Toothpicks and matches were scattered where she'd dropped them.

"Why don't you look where you're going instead of apologizing like a lord," she said back. Her blue eyes shone through the grime on her face as she looked him up and down. "What are you, a fricken alien?" She started scrambling round on the sidewalk to pick up her sticks, probably her only form of income. Mercury bent to help her, but she swatted him away. "Just get moving," she spat. The cat turned to go, but something caught at him. He could help this poor soul, and it wasn't as if it was putting him out or anything.

"_All she'll do is hinder you!" _a voice said in his head.

"_She doesn't deserve this!" _another argued back. _"Give her something to help her."_

"_You must find Shadow!"_

"_Just a few minutes. She may help you in your quest."_ Mercury stood still for a few seconds, deciding. Finally he turned back to the hedgehog, noticing what he thought resembled a diner across the street. He knelt down beside her scrambling fingers, but she didn't look up.

"Why are you back?" she muttered.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Cassandra. Why do you care?"

"Well Cassandra, how'd you like some food?" Her neck snapped up, her eyes shining with surprise and joy.

"Really?!" Her voice was full of hope. Mercury nodded.

"It's the least I can do." He moved towards the diner, beckoning for her to follow. She followed slowly at first and then began to catch up as he crossed the street. Suddenly she stopped as he reached the middle of the road.

"Move!" He turned round in confusion.

_BEEP BEEP!_

A giant garbage truck was thundering straight towards his, a good five tonne of second rate metal. Mercury was straight in its path, with no possible way to escape being squashed. The girl he was helping covered her eyes so as to avoid the inevitable horror of Mercury's demise.

Mercury had a different idea. Instead of panicking, he simply made a sudden upwards movement with his hand. His powers grasped the metal that made the vehicle and sent it into the air. The giant truck flew over Mercury's head and landed harmlessly behind him and continued down the hill. The few onlookers stood stock still in shock. Mercury continued to the other side of the street and turned to Cassandra, who still stood with her eyes covered, nearly crying.

"You coming?" he called. She looked up and, after a few seconds of shock, ran over the street and into the café after him.

Mercury picked out a table near a window and began to scan over the menu. Cassandra ran quickly through the diner and sat opposite him.

"What was that?!" she hissed.

"What?" he asked without looking up from the menu.

"Don't give me that! You just sent an entire truck sailing over your head. Now who are you really? People with your type of power don't just appear out of nowhere." Mercury shrugged.

"Honestly I was hoping you could tell me. I seem to have lost my memory." He scanned the menu a last time before a waitress walked over.

"What'll it be hon?" the waitress asked.

"I'll have a steak and…" Mercury looked over at Cassandra.

"I'm not hungry," she lied. A growl from her stomach said otherwise.

"She'll have…" the cat looked over the menu a last time, picking a dish at random. "The steak burger." The waitress nodded and left them together.

"Have you ever heard of anyone with my type of power?" Mercury asked her. She shook her head and remained silent. Mercury tried a few more times to start a conversation, but to no avail. Finally their food came out. Mercury thanked the waitress and began to eat. Cassandra hesitated, staring at the burger in front of her with hungry eyes. "Go on, eat," Mercury urged her. After another second, Cassandra began to eat the burger ravenously like a starved animal. Her fringe fell into her food, but she made no move to clear them. The ferocity struck Mercury.

"_I didn't realize she was this hungry!"_ he thought. _"I would have helped her sooner."_

"_You see what your good acts can do," _the same voice from before told him. _"Think of what more acts like this could do."_

"_But if you can do this for others," _the sinister copy of the other voice said. _"Imagine what you could do for yourself."_

The front door banging open stopped his trail of thought. He looked over the top of his chair at who had just entered. Cassandra, her face covered in a layer of food, did the same. A muscle-bound bear had slammed the door open. He had black fur, torn clothes and multiple battle scars. Most obvious was the shotgun he held in his hands.

"Damn it," Cassandra cursed under her breath. "Not you!" Mercury looked at her curiously. The man could be militia, or a poor police man for all he knew. Maybe that's how law enforcement dressed around here. The giant bear raised the gun and fired it into the roof.

_Bang!_

"Everyone on the ground!" he roared. "This is a hold-up." The few patrons in the diner either ducked under the tables or completely ignored it. This sort of thing probably happened weekly, possibly daily in this sort of place. The waitress from before ran out of the kitchen.

"Ok, ok Gary," she said soothingly. "I'll give you the till. Just don't hurt anyone this time." The bear, Gary, snorted, but lowered the firearm and started to walk between the isles. Cassandra sank deep into her chair, trying to hide from him, but to no avail. As he passed, Gary looked down and saw her. A smile spread over his scarred face.

"Well, well, what do we have here? If it isn't the little squealer who sent me into jail. How are you Cassie?"

"Get away from me Gary," she said quietly. The bear continued to smile.

"Now is that any way to treat the man of your dreams?" He went to stroke her face but she bit at his hand. Gary pulled away, growling. "You just crossed the line, missy!"

"I'd rather die then have you touch me again!" the hedgehog hissed.

"That can be arranged." Gary hefted the shotgun at Cassandra's forehead. In credit to her, she barely flinched as the steel touched her skin. Everyone in the room was watching, but no one moved to help her. Well, almost no one.

"I'd suggest you leave," Mercury said to the bear. "Now!" Gary was surprised that anyone dared to say anything. Usually they just stood like statues as he did what he wanted. Certainly someone this thin never stood up to him.

"Who's this Cassie?" he laughed. "You're boyfriend? I'm surprised anyone would go near you, you little bitch!"

"Leave him out of this!"

"No way!" Gary removed the barrel from Cassandra's head and pointed it at Mercury instead. "How about you? Has she told you what she is yet?" Where Cassandra had barely flinched, Mercury didn't move an inch.

"I don't really care," Mercury said bluntly. "Are you going to fire anytime soon?" The statement took Gary by surprise. He'd never been asked to fire before in his life.

"Guess you want to die then. Fine." He pulled the trigger on the shotgun.

_Bang!_

Five metal pebbles slammed into Mercury's head. He collapsed forward onto the counter, the thud muffled by Cassandra's scream.

"Now that he's out of the way," the gigantic bear sneered. "Where were we?" He moved to touch Cassandra again. The girl was shivering uncontrollably from fear and shock. As he came close to her a movement from the bench top stopped him. The grey cat pushed himself, tapping his cranium a few times.

"Let's see," he muttered, completely oblivious to the shocked people staring at him. He concentrated for a second or two, and then shook his head. "Nothing." He turned to the stunned Gary. "Thought that might trigger some memories, but no luck. Now, are you going to surrender?" Gary looked clueless for a few seconds, but this was soon replaced by fear and anger.

"No demon's going to take me to hell!" he screamed and fired the shotgun again. Mercury raised his hand, his powers stopping the shards of metal dead. A smile spread across the cat's face unbidden and his stance seemed to change. He appeared confident and strong, authority rippling from him like a wave.

"Trust me," he hissed through his teeth. "Hell is too good for you!" Two of the pellets flew back through Gary's arms, splintering the bone. Another two shattered his kneecaps, forcing the now sobbing bear to the ground. Mercury stood over him, his grey fur, eyes, nearly insane smile and swirling black cloak making him look every part the fallen angel. Putting two fingers to his head, he extracted the pellets of the first shot from his skull. He allowed them to float above Gary's head before he prepared to send them back into the crying felon.

"Stop!" Mercury turned to see who had spoken. It was Cassandra. "Don't kill him. Please. I don't want more death on my conscious." Mercury thought for a few seconds.

_"He's tried to kill you!" _the dark voice hissed in his head. _"Who cares what the girl thinks!"_

_"You can't make the call!" _The light voice countered. _"You've guessed this isn't your home, so let them decide."_

"Fine." The floating pellets merged together to form one piece of metal that then gagged Greg as if by it's own accords. Cassandra came up to the bear and, completely without warning, punched his knee. Greg screamed through the solid gag.

"Maybe now you won't pick on little people now, you bully!" Mercury raised his eyebrow. The insanity of a few seconds before had seemed to pass.

"I thought you didn't want him hurt."

"I said I didn't want him dead," Cassandra snapped. "The longer he lives, the more he suffers." Mercury shrugged. To some part of him this made sense. The waitress crept out from behind the counter where she'd been hiding.

"You'll probably want to call whatever law enforcement is here." The waitress nodded dumbly.

"You saved us," she said hoarsely. How can we repay you?" Mercury thought for a second.

"I don't suppose you could cancel the bill?" he asked. "I'm kind of broke."


	5. Memories

Cassandra and Mercury left the café as a group of police men barged in. Since he had no idea about his past, Mercury thought it would be better to avoid the law enforcement.

"Thank you for the meal," Cassandra said. "And for saving my life from Gary afterwards." It suddenly occurred to her that she still didn't know what this person's name was. It was sort of stupid, considering he'd risked her life to distract Gary in the diner. Or had he really? From what she understood, he was fully aware of his powers, so there was really no risk involved. All he was doing was showing off. But, she thought instead, there was always the risk that something could go wrong, and this guy acted like the careful, risk less type. If he thought like this, then he was defying his own instincts in helping her. She looked over at him, walking along the street and staring at the ground, completely oblivious to the world in his own mind. She decided there was no risk in asking him his name. "Err, I don't actually know your name yet." The cat looked up.

"You're right!" he said in surprise. "My name is Mercury, I think. To tell the truth, I'm not sure about anything at the moment." He offered her his hand. She took it, smiling.

"Well, you're a nice person," she assured him. "That's for sure." Mercury nodded, returning her smile. They continued to walk, moving further up into the richer parts of Westopolis. "So, what do you know about yourself?"

"I know I'm from out of town," Mercury said. "Probably far out of town. Have you ever heard of a group called the Failures?" Cassandra shook her head.

"What is that, a rock group or something?" Mercury didn't seem to understand what she was talking about. "A rock band. You know, punk music." Mercury shook his head. "You must be from some obscure part of the planet if you've never heard of music. Then again, if no one knows who you are here I doubt anyone's seen you before. Everyone on Earth comes here."

"Earth, so that's where I am," Mercury muttered. His head suddenly jolted up, the pupils dilating quickly.

"Hey!" Cassandra yelled.

_Mercury was standing in the centre of a black room. The walls seemed to be made from a material that absorbed light completely, giving the room an eerie, unpredictable feeling. Only three lights could be seen: one was on him, another on a strange spiked symbol on the wall, and the last on a throne of the same black material as the wall. Mercury tried to look around, but he gaze was held firm for some reason. Then an eagle, nearly twice his height came into the light on the throne. The eagle was red and orange, with streaks of gold along the feather's edges. The bird's sharp eyes were a striking gold. It wore a skintight suit exactly like Mercury's own, but a brown sash covered it instead of Mercury's black cloak. Military medals jingled on the material like a line of bells. The eagle sat in the throne, resting his arms on the dark stone._

_"Getting comfortable, are we Jupiter?" Mercury heard his voice say. He hadn't tried to speak, but now that he tried he found he had no control of what was happening. This surprised him slightly, but Mercury decided to see what was happening instead of panicking._

_"I believe that being ready is always a good idea." The eagle, Jupiter, said curtly. Mercury felt himself smile slyly._

_"Careful brother," he said in a jesting tone. It sounded oddly hollow, as if there was no real emoting behind the words. "Those could be seen as traitorous thoughts if heard by the wrong ears. You know how father treats traitors, don't you?" Jupiter gave a chuckle nearly exactly like the one Mercury had just made._

_"Father need never know, as it will never concern him. But that's not why we're here brother. You are needed to investigate a line of interest for our father." Jupiter withdrew a thin data pad from the side of the throne and tossed it to the cat. Mercury flicked his fingers and the pad stopped a hair's breath from his eyes. He raised his hand and plucked the pad out of the air. Mercury barely caught a glimpse of it because he barely looked at it before pocketing it. At the top was one word he could make out._

_"Why Earth?" Mercury asked. Or rather, his body asked. Jupiter shrugged._

_"Father seems to think that the planet is important to his plans. You are to deal with one Gerald Robotnic about his assistance. Pluto will accompany you to help with your work." Mercury felt himself hiss slightly._

_"Why Pluto?" he asked. "He is unpredictable and usually more trouble then he's worth."_

_"So are you," Jupiter pointed out. "But his powers are necessary in negotiations, so deal with it." Mercury bowed, the actions seeming more like a teasing younger sibling then actual respect. "A shuttle is waiting in the dock." Mercury nodded and turned, losing sight of the giant eagle, towards the wall, where a door was no doubt located. Sure enough, part of the wall lifted up, letting blinding light into the chamber. "And Mercury."_

_"Hmm?" The cat stopped before the opening._

_"Take care of yourself." The statement seemed to be of actual care. Mercury felt himself smile._

_"Do not worry yourself brother," Mercury replied. The images began to fade from Mercury's view. "I've had far worse assignments then this!"_

Mercury felt himself pulled violently back into the present by Cassandra shaking him. He found that he was on his back on the sidewalk with a crowd of people around him.

"What just happened?" he asked Cassandra.

"You just stopped and collapsed. It looked like you were having a seizure." Mercury nodded. He turned to the crowd of curious people around him.

"I'm fine!" he assured them. "Nothing to see here." A few people grumbled, but soon he and Cassandra were alone again.

"What happened to you?" Cassandra asked. Mercury went on to explain about his strange vision and how he thought it was part of his memories. "Well, I've never heard of anyone called Jupiter, but I think I've heard of Gerald Robotnic. He's the creator of Shadow the Hedgehog I think." There it was again, that name. Shadow the Hedgehog. Mercury's memory flashed again, not as extravagant as before, but just a feeling. Blinding agony. The screams of billions of souls ending inside his head. Mercury grasped his head in pain and nearly collapsed again, but Cassandra caught him.

"Thank you Cassandra," he panted. She smiled at him again.

"Call me Cassie. You really need to stop falling over whenever I say something." Mercury nodded. "What was this one about?"

"Nothing, just a feeling. I don't suppose you know where Shadow the Hedgehog is by any chance?" He didn't reveal why he needed to find Shadow, he just let her assume it was something to do with his memory. The gold quilled hedgehog nodded happily.

"I've seen him a few times around Club Rouge. He apparently knows the owner. I'll take you there!" Cassie grabbed his arm and started running down the street, pulling the thin cat behind.

The first thing that grasped their attention was the door hanging off its hinges. This pretty much got them worried. Inside was even worse. The operating room was completely destroyed, the expensive surgical equipment rendered unusable. Tails and Ienzo were both out cold, but still alive, thankfully. Shadow and Rouge carried the young scientists into the lounge room and waited for them to wake up. Eventually, the slate raven began to regained consciousness. He groaned weakly.

"What hit me?" he mumbled to no one in particular.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Shadow said calmly. "Now where is the alien?"

"He woke up, and we tried to communicate with it. But it attacked us the moment we came in. He knocked me out before I could do anything." Tails moaned weakly on the other couch.

"And what would you have done?" Rouge said critically. "Talked him to death?" Ienzo tried to kick her, but only managed to fall off the couch.

"We still don't know who this is, so it would be better if we didn't try fighting him," Shadow advised.

"His name is Mercury," Tails said. Rouge, Ienzo and Shadow all turned to him. "He's something called a Failure."

"A failure?" Shadow muttered. "I don't think I've ever heard of anyone that would call themselves that. Except possibly Sonic."

"There's something else," Tails said meaningfully. He pointed at Shadow. "He wants to kill you." Shadow raised his eyebrow.

"Seriously Shadow," Rouge said exasperatedly. "What do you do to make everyone hate you?" Shadow ignored her and began walking out the door. "Where are you going now?"

"Much as I like the prospect of having a mad alien capable of controlling metal on my tail, I need to sleep. I'm going to find him before he finds me." Shadow pulled out his phone, and it began to ring without him even touching a button.

"OK Shadow, you have to teach me how to do that," Tails said enviously.

"I didn't do anything," Shadow muttered as he hit the answer button. "This is Shadow."

"Shadow! This is Captain Tange. There's been a disturbance downtown that's right up your alley."

"Do you need me sir, I'm kind of busy at the moment," Shadow said in a mildly respectful tone, which was about as far as he could go.

"Firstly," the Captain said in a disgruntled voice. "You and Rouge are the closest agents. And secondly, since when did you get to choose your missions. Now get down to the diner in downtown!"

"What's the disturbance?" Shadow asked.

"Someone stopped a hold-up."

"So why do you need us to investigate?"

"The savior had unusual powers. He fled the scene before any of the police arrived on scene."

"Half the population seems to have strange powers these days," Shadow muttered, looking over at Tails. "If we investigate every report of unusual people, we'll end up spread thin."

"Just do it Shadow," Tange sighed. "I'm really not in the mood to argue with you today."

"What were the powers reported as?"

"Something about a grey cat levitating the bullets from inside his head. The techs described it as magnetism influence. What do you think Shadow? Shadow?" The hedgehog in question was staring, open mouthed at the receiver. He'd nearly dropped it when he heard the captain describe the power. "Shadow, respond! What's the matter?"

"We'll be down there right away, sir!" Shadow hung up and signaled to Rouge that they were moving.

"Who was that?" she asked as she moved.

"Captain Tange. He just gave us a lead." Shadow tossed the remote he'd found to Tails, who fumbled, but managed to catch the remote without pressing anything.

"What's this?" Tails asked.

"That's what you two will be telling us when we come back," Shadow told him as he ran out the door.

"And it better be done when I get back!" Rouge said as she slammed the door behind her.

"So sorry you got hurt trying to take care of that monster I brought in," Ienzo muttered sarcastically. "Hope you're all right. Take a rest; you've done enough for one morning."

"Let it go," Tails advised his friend. "It's not worth worrying over."

Mercury and Cassie arrived outside a run down old casino like building. At least two windows were broken and the walls were in desperate need of a new coat of paint. The only real light came from the flickering neon sign above the door saying _Club Rouge._ Mercury looked over the building skeptically. He'd expected someone he was hunting to live in at least a half decent residence. Even the two-tailed fox's lab was better than this.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked Cassie. The hedgehog gave him a look that nearly made him flinch.

"Quick word of advice, since you've forgotten. Never, ever, question a woman's judgment. Got that?" Mercury nodded quickly. "Good." The two of them walked up to the door and knocked. A peephole opened and one eye stared out. It's gaze rested on Cassie.

"I've told you before, I don't want any matches!" a deep voice rumbled from the other side of the door. Cassie looked at the eye viciously. Mercury stepped in front of Cassie, blocking the eye's view.

"Who are you?"

"That's not important," Mercury told him. "I need to speak to the hedgehog Shadow immediately."

"That's not how this works," the voice said back. "We don't just let anyone through here. This is an exclusive club!"

"Really?" Mercury said, surprised. "You could have fooled me."

"So you a smart guy, are you?"

"No, just truthful."

"That's it!" The peephole was slammed shut and the door opened. A large brown male echidna was on the other side. He wore the clothes of a bouncer and tattoos lined his long quills. On each of his gloves were five metal studs, one for each knuckle. Not a person you'd want to mess with under any circumstances, especially if you threw in the murderous look on his face. "I'm going to teach you a lesson, smarty!" The echidna drew back his arm and punched straight at Mercury's face. The punch went left of his face by less then a whisker. The punch and been pulled, obviously to scare him rather than hurt him. Mercury raised his eyebrow.

"That it?" The echidna nearly burst. He drew back his other hand and sent a punch straight at Mercury's gut. Mercury raised one finger and the metal studs in the doorman's hand stopped, effectively halting the hand. The echidna looked shocked that his hand wasn't moving, which was perfectly understandable. Mercury made a quick outwards movement with his fingers and both the echidna's studded hands were thrown either side of him. Surprisingly, the echidna still looked more angry then scared.

"What do you want?" he hissed at Mercury.

"I want to speak to Shadow the Hedgehog." Mercury thought for a second. "Please?" Cassie and the doorman were both taken aback that, while holding someone who had just attacked him, Mercury was being polite.

"Well, Shadow isn't here at the moment," the Echidna said. His tone wasn't nearly as angry as before and his eyes no longer gleamed threateningly.

"Do you have any way to contact him?" Mercury asked. He let the echidna's arms go. He stood there, rubbing his knuckles.

"I have Miss Rouge's number. If Shadow's not with her, then I doubt you could find him anyway." He offered them the door. "If you'd just come with me, I'll show you." Mercury nodded and began to follow him. Cassie grabbed his arm and pulled him outside.

"What did you just do?" she nearly ordered him.

"What do you mean?"

"Five seconds age that guy wanted to kill you. Know he's acting like an old mate and handing over information freely. What did you do to his head?" Mercury shrugged.

"I earned his respect, that's all." Cassie looked at him disbelievingly. "I grasped that he's the type of person who respects power. I beat him, but I didn't patronize him about. That just made him like me, and if he likes me then he's more likely to help me. That's just how people work." Cassie shook her head.

"You are the most unusual person I've ever met."

"Is that a bad thing?" Mercury said, smiling.

"Probably not." Just then the echidna poked his head out the door.

"Are you two coming in or not?" The cat and hedgehog followed him into the club.


	6. First Contact

The inside of _Club Rouge _was at least a bit more impressive then the outside. The walls were a dark mauve covered with a furry material. The lights were dim at best, but it appeared to be meant to be like that rather than due to power problems. The first room was obviously a bar, with a few tables surrounding a central counter. A few open bottles of what looked like expensive wine. The help seemed to have been helping themselves to the merchandise while the boss, the woman Rouge, was out. Behind the counter stood an older echidna, black with silver tattoos, taking a swig from one of the bottles. He looked up in surprise as Mercury and Cassandra walked in behind the other echidna.

"What're they doing here Jacque?" he said. He was obviously rather drunk because it came out more as: "Water thee doin her Jacque?"

"For the last time Uncle, my name is Jack!" the doorman said grumpily. "And I'm helping them contact Madam Rouge. They're friends of Shadow's" Cassie looked at Mercury suspiciously, still not believing that he hadn't meddled with the echidna's brain.

"Fine, but don't make taking in strays a habit Jacque."

"My name's Jack!" He turned to Cassie and Mercury. "I'll go get the phone. Just take a seat." The brown echidna offered them a seat, and then ran off into one of the back rooms to find a phone.

Mercury sat down and examined the room around him. Cassie just sat and stared accusingly at him. After nearly a minute of this, Mercury finally noticed his companions look and turned his attention to her.

"What?" he said, not in an annoyed tone but more curious at her reaction.

"You lied to me before! You know you did something to him!" she accused. Mercury sighed.

"If you're talking about him saying we were friends of Shadow, I just let him make an assumption on what evidence he saw and come to his conclusion. I would not sink as low as to use someone for my own gain!"

_"Why not?"_ the voice in his head interrupted. _"You've done it before."_

_"What?!"_

"Mercury?" The cat shook his head. Cassie was looking over at him with a concerned look on her face. "You zoned out again buddy," she informed him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm sure I'm fine," he told her. "I'm sure once I find Shadow theses strange voices will stop.

"What voices?" Mercury nearly slapped himself. He'd forgotten that he hadn't told his friend about the arguing voices in his head yet. He was fairly sure that having voices arguing in your head that weren't yours wasn't either normal ort desirable. Luckily, Jack came back with the phone at that moment.

"Her number should be the second on the list," he told them. "Shadow's is first, but his mobile's never on."

"Thanks Jack."

"No prob mate!" the echidna said. Cassandra gave Mercury another glare, but he ignored her and started to use the phone. She looked around her instead, her focus landing on the second echidna. Big mistake! The older animal took this attention as a sign of affection, as you do when you're drunk and winked at her slyly. The hedgehog was barely able to stop herself throwing up at even the thought of the echidna hitting on her.

Down in downtown Shadow and Rouge were carrying out quick interrogations of the entire diner. They were having little luck. Everyone's answer was the same. The cat didn't use his name and was dressed in the same unusual clothes that Shadow had found him in. He came in with a well-known beggar hedgehog by the name of Cassandra and bought her lunch. The general consensus was that they were dating. This puzzled Shadow. The alien had been in town for less then a day, so how could he already be dating a local. Or maybe the hedgehog was his contact on Earth and they were exchanging information. But the timelines didn't fit properly. A mission of this large a scale wouldn't have let one of their own be captured so easily. He could have just been being nice to the girl, but that didn't make sense either. Not after he'd attacked Ienzo and Tails so viciously. The whole day hadn't been making sense.

A little while after the two had come in, Gary the Bear had come in to rob the place. The guy was a regular jailbird, constantly in and out of the slammer. He tried to rob the same diner every week, and his visits were usually just seen as routine. He was cruel, mean spirited and a well known violent man. Scum was the only real word to describe him. The simple point that he could get away with this sort of thing for so long just showed how bad the law enforcement in these parts of town were. Millions of taxpayers' money into the police force and they just sat on their arses waiting for the heroes like Shadow to do the job for them. Pathetic.

Apparently, Gary had threatened Cassandra while in the diner. It was on file that Gary had mistreated the girl in the past. She'd reported him and he was sent to jail. He'd threatened her with his shotgun, but then their target had intervened, baiting the bear into attacking him instead of Cassandra. This was where the stories got more varied. Some said that the cat had dodged the bullets and knocked Gary out with his own gun but. Some said he caught them and thrown them back fast enough to shatter the bear's bones. The most eccentric was that the cat had let himself be shot on purpose, then had simply extracted them from his skull and nearly killed Gary while levitating the pellets above his head, apparently laughing while he did so. Though the most out of place, Shadow chose to believe this one because it fit with everything else he'd observed the alien doing.

The beggar and the alien had both fled the scene in the direction of the upper suburbs before police had closed off the scene. Another example of how useless Westopolis' men in blue were. And that's pretty much where the trail went cold. All the GUN agent knew now was that the alien was in the city an hour before with a tarnished gold female hedgehog. Not much of a lead, especially considering that their target could have powers similar to Shadow's for all they knew, allowing him to teleport at will. So the trip was a dud. Or at least, it nearly was.

As Rouge was interviewing her last subject, her mobile phone began to ring. She apologized to the man, a blue, well dressed wolf with constantly moving eyes, and checked who was calling. It was her own home phone, the one at _Club Rouge. _Why would any of her help be calling her, especially since business wasn't supposed to open of another eight hours? She hit the answer button.

"Jack, you'd better have a good reason for interrupting my work. You know what I do is confidential!"

"Greetings madam," a voice she didn't recognize said from the other end of the connection. "I must say I expected you to be a bit more polite than this." The voice was male, young but definitely broken. It had a sort of air of confidence, and the language was both that of a gentlemen and a rude underling. Did Rouge know anyone that acted like a gentlemen? Not a chance.

"Who are you? What have you done to my staff?!"

"I assure you, your staff are completely unharmed. As for whom I am, that is completely unnecessary. But I didn't call to answer questions, I called to talk to Shadow the Hedgehog. Put him on." The last part bordered on an order. Rouge didn't like being ordered around, especially by someone she didn't know.

"Listen here mister," she nearly yelled. "I don't know who you think you are, but if you think you can order me around from my own house, you're very mistaken." Her commotion attracted a bit of attention, and people began to edge near her to listen to her. Noticing this, she gave a cat-like hiss, scaring the weaker hearted ones away again. "Now you'd better tell me who the hell you are. Now!"

"Very well Mrs. Rouge…"

"Miss, thank you!"

"Miss Rouge. My name is Mercury and I wish to talk to the Son of Black Doom, concerning why I was locked in the basement of his friend owns. Now will you put him on?" Rouge's face had gone as white as her hair as she listened to Mercury's self introduction. Just then, Shadow came through the crowd. A single look from the ebony hedgehog drove the rest of the spectators away in an instant.

"Who is it?" he asked his partner.

"The alien!" she whispered, her blue lined eyes wide. "He's calling from _Club Rouge_. My club! An exterritorial creature is calling my mobile from my own house!" Shadow took no notice of her and took the phone from her fingers.

"This is Shadow. Why the hell are you calling me?!" The creature on the other end laughed.

"Why don't you tell me, Shadow," he said. "I have no doubt that you have all the missing answers I need. If you didn't then why would I want to kill you?"

"I'll tell you what I do know," Shadow seethed through the receiver. "You're in some way related to the Black Arms and that infernal Doom! Tell me what you want!" The person on the other end laughed again.

"I have no memory, so your words cannot hurt me Shadow. All I know is that Doom is evil and you are his son." Shadow nearly stumbled as the alien told him his own most hated secret. That was confidential beyond comprehension. Only the highest-ranking GUN officers knew about the Doom relation. Them and the entire Sonic team. But that pretty much made it common knowledge. Damn, if Sonic had let that get out he was going to…

"I wish to meet with you on peaceful terms so that you can give me my memory. Do you accept?" Shadow was nearly fuming now.

"Oh we'll be meeting," he promised Mercury. "But it's not going to be very peaceful!" He motioned to Rouge to grab his hand. Shadow pulled out his Chaos emerald, picturing _Club Rouge _in his head.

"I don't understand what you mean, Shadow," the alien said through the phone. "How do you hope to find…"

"Chaos Control!"

Inside _Club Rouge_, Mercury heard Shadow yell out the word Chaos. Something else in his mind clicked again and a picture came to mind. It was a large torso draped in a brown and black shawl. The creature's head was red and black, with three green eyes and two horizontal horns. Its mouth was a demented hole with rows of teeth all around it. Around its neck hung many trinkets, a few that Mercury recognized from his other memories. He didn't know how, but Mercury knew that this was Black Doom, the father of Shadow. Mercury would have pondered this further, but suddenly unexplainable pain racked his body. He yelled in pain, drawing both Cassie and Jack's attention. But it didn't hold it for long as a bright flash of light appeared in the center of the room right after. From the flash appeared a bat with white hair in a very tight black suit with hearts on it and a black and red hedgehog. They both dropped into aggressive stances as the landed out of nowhere. Jack looked shocked, as did his uncle who immediately tried to hide the many bottles of booze around him. But neither of the newcomers even looked at them. They only had eyes for the now stumbling Mercury.

"How did you do that?" the cat asked. Cassie ran over to him as he began to sway, but he waved her away. The black hedgehog didn't answer, but began running, no skating, at Mercury. The hedgehog went to kick in mid stride, but Mercury dived to the side quickly to avoid it. The hedgehog changed direction easily and tried to same tactic again, but met the same result.

"You'd better start talking," the hedgehog said to the cat. "Or I'll have to start trying."

"Bring it on, Shadow!" Mercury said back. Shadow roared and propelled himself forward into a punch. Mercury caught the strike easily with one hand. Shadow looked surprised. The strength he possessed rivaled even Knuckles the Echidna, yet this skinny freak had stopped it without even trying. Mercury smiled at his confusing and used the hesitation to throw Shadow across the room into the wall. He hit the wall, the thud muffled by the layer of cheap fur on the surface. He got up quickly, but Mercury was already upon him and delivered a quick side kick in his ribs, making him cough. Before the cat could deliver another blow, a hand grabbed him from behind. A sharp pain in his spine followed this feeling instantly. Mercury tried to stumble away from the second opponent, but whoever it was gripped into his back.

"You seem to be a bit stiff dear," a lush female voice said behind him. "Maybe a massage would help." Mercury felt two knees being slammed violently into his back and he grunted in pain. By this time, Shadow had gotten up and was walking towards him.

"Whatever Doom has ordered you to do, it makes no difference." A strange light filled the hedgehog's hand. Pain erupted over Mercury's body, the same unexplainable pain that had struck him when Shadow had arrived. "You'll be joining him in hell soon enough!" The light in his hand increased, as did Mercury's pain. Shadow raised his hand as if to strike him. "Chaos…"

"Don't touch him!" Everyone turned. Cassie was standing with her fists clenched, anger lining her usually beautiful face.

"Cassandra," Shadow said calmly, remembering the description of the beggar the patrons of the diner had given him. "Do you understand who this is?" The young hedgehog shook her head. "He could be a murderer, a rapist, a war criminal." Cassie was still shaking her head.

"He's not!" she cried. "He's nice and kind. Is that what makes a murderer?" Shadow was shocked that, not only was this girl defending the alien, but she seemed to believe every word she was saying. Could someone from the Black Arms really stir this kind of loyalty from a complete stranger? Suddenly he heard Rouge scream behind him. Mercury had somehow escaped from her grip and now had her pinned against the wall. Shadow ran at him, but the cat raised his hand. The cutlery from the three nearest tables flew at the crimson stained hedgehog. Shadow moved out of their path, but Mercury made a second movement with his hand and the sharp implements followed Shadow. Caught unawares, Shadow moved slower and the cutlery gained on him. Two forks pierced his legs and he collapsed to the floor with a shout. This movement saved his life as the rest of the deadly metal overshot him and embedded themselves in the wall.

With a single movement, Mercury knocked the annoying bat out cold and went to focus on Shadow. As he walked towards his incapacitated foe, one of the knives flew up into his hand. Mercury planned to finish the job now, but Cassandra stepped into his way, blocking his view of the hedgehog.

"What are you going to do?" she asked fearfully. "Are you going to kill him?!"

"It is for the better good," Mercury tried to assure her. "He will bring only destruction. I know this!" Cassie shook her head, as she had with Shadow.

"I told them you weren't evil Mercury. Please don't make me wrong!"

_"What does it matter what the girl thinks of you?"_ the voice in his head hissed at him. _"You have a mission to complete. What she thinks is unimportant."_

_"What if you're wrong?" _the other voice said. _"Maybe this isn't the person you think he is. Then you have gained nothing and all you have lost is a friend."_

_"Friend?" _The word seemed unusual to him, like a completely new concept.

"Chaos Spear!" A flash of light and pain tore Mercury's conscious back to reality. Instinct made him roll away from the blast of light but his side still burned as if he'd been hurt. He felt his side, but there was no damage done. So what had caused the pain? Mercury didn't have time to wonder, as Shadow pulled himself to his feet, murderous intent glowing in his blood red eyes. Grabbing Cassie's arm, he sprinted out onto the street, blowing the door off in the process, and fled from _Club Rouge_ as fast as he could.


	7. Irrational decisions

Mercury didn't stop running until he was a good six blocks away from _Club Rouge_, and only then because he was sure that Shadow wasn't still following him. Without further thought, ha dropped down against the wall panting heavily. Cassie stood a small distance away, doing the same thing.

"What was that about?" she asked between breaths. "Why is the he trying to kill you?"

"I don't know," Mercury said back. "But he's damn powerful!"

_"What the hell kept happening to me?"_ he asked himself. _"He kept causing me pain without even touching me? Every time he used that Chaos Control thing I felt as if he was burning my fur off! How am I supposed to kill him if he can hurt me with the simplest thought?!"_

"Of course he's powerful!" Cassie exclaimed. "He's the city hero for God's sake! He's rumored to be invincible! Not even Sonic can beat him!" Something about what she's said didn't fit right. Mercury though for a second, then it hit him.

"He's the city's protector?!" Cassie looked at him strangely.

"Of course he's the city's protector. Heck, he's one of the entire world's protectors! I thought you said you knew him!" Mercury's mind was racing. Up until this point he'd been under the impression that Shadow was an evil madman who needed to be stopped. But here, Cassie was contradicting this belief. It didn't make sense!

_"Tyrants aren't always seen as what they are by their subjects," _the voice in his head piped in. _"Who's to say that the girl isn't wrongly informed, or even working with Shadow?"_

_"How can you hope to justify that, when you can't even justify why you wanted to kill Shadow in the first place?" _the other voice argued. _"__All you have to go on are incomplete memories. How do you know you aren't the one who's mistaken?"_ Mercury didn't think he was going to be able to cope with two voices that weren't his own arguing inside his head for much longer, especially when they both made logical sense.

_"Choose how to act," _both voices said. _"You have nothing, so you have nothing to loose."_

_"Except my life!" _Mercury thought bitterly. Much as he trusted Cassie, his gut instinct was screaming at him the Shadow was a danger to others.

_"But why does it matter to you if he's a danger to others?" _one of the voices said again. _"If he's not a danger to you, then why do you care?" _Mercury looked over at Cassie, who was still staring at him intently.

_"Because I need to help these people."_

_"Why?  
"How the hell should I know?"_

"Are you going to answer me?" Cassie nearly yelled at the silent cat, making him jump. "Or are you going to stand there in dreamland all day."

"My apologies Cassie. I did not mean to…"

The building on the other side of the street collapsing upon itself was enough to get Mercury to stop mid sentence. He and Cassie stared as something came past them and slammed into the building Mercury was leaning against, cracking the brickwork extensively. The thing was a teenage hedgehog like Cassie, but blue and obviously male. He had green eyes, slicked back quills and red shoes with the soles very well worn. All in all, he looked fairly average, besides his colour.

The hedgehog pried himself from the wall and dropped expertly to the ground. Though he looked very badly beaten, there was a confident grin on his mouth. His arms were folded as he waited for something.

"Come on Metal!" he called out cockily. "Is that all you have?" From the ruined wall of the other building walked another hedgehog. He looked exactly like the one that had crashed into the building seconds before, except that he was made completely from what looked like a blue-silver titanium alloy. His eyes glowed red inside wells of black, showing that he was a robot instead of a mortal. Behind him floated a man in a hover pod. The man was human, with a comically oversized moustache, tiny tinted glasses, a bald head with some sort of goggles strapped to them and a red tailcoat with what resembled amp plugs on them. He definitely seemed to be in charge of the robot below him.

_"He reminds me of Gerald," _Mercury thought. Then he realized what he'd thought. _"Wait! How do I know what Gerald looks like?! I don't even know who he is, do I?" _

"You are disgustingly overconfident today Sonic," the man said to the hedgehog. Hatred flowed from his voice with every word. There was definitely some hostility between the man and the blue hedgehog. "But today your annoying face will be wiped from the face of this planet forever! Metal Sonic!" He turned to robot below him, who was just staring at the blue hedgehog. "Destroy him." The robot gave a half nod and began to hover off the ground, and then charged the hedgehog at speed bordering on mach one. Mercury was sure the flesh hedgehog was done for, but he had disappeared before Metal Sonic managed to reach him. Next second, a spinning blue blur shot at the robot from the left. Metal Sonic managed to block the attack with its forearm, the hit managing to scratch paint off, and threw its opponent off. The hedgehog uncurled and stood smiling.

"I've seen toddlers move faster then that. What type of copy are you anyway?" Metal Sonic ignored the jibes and blasted towards the hedgehog, his metal claws swiping at his adversary. Once again, the blue hedgehog moved with lightning speed to avoid the attack.

Mercury and Cassie were both still staring at the fight with intent. Mercury managed to move his attention enough to ask Cassie a question.

"Please explain who these people are and why they are fighting without a reason."

"That's Sonic the Hedgehog," Cassie said without taking her eyes from the fight. "He's the greatest hero on Earth!" Mercury was sure he could detect longing in the girl's voice. One look at the lights in her eyes told him everything he needed to know about this Sonic.

"And the fat guy?"

"That's Dr Eggman. He's Sonic's nemesis. He's always trying to take over the world with some scheme involving a crackpot invention and the Chaos emeralds." There it was again. Chaos. What was this strange force that seemed to be all over the planet? "The robot is Metal Sonic, a doppelganger of Sonic. It's apparently really strong. Come on Sonic!" The last sentence was yelled so loud Mercury covered his ears out of instinct. He turned his attention back to the battle. It didn't look good. A crowd had gathered but remained a good distance away. A few people were cheering for Sonic, but most simply looked scared. Metal Sonic had destroyed at least a third of the walls on the street level, and some higher up. Sonic was looking worse for wear, with new cuts appearing on his body every few seconds as his reactions to Metal's attacks getting slower and slower. Finally, Sonic collapsed from exhaustion; his fall halted as Metal Sonic appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the chest. Dr Eggman smiled with an insane joy and rubbed his hands together.

"Now my creation," he said to Metal. "Finish him!" Metal half nodded again and without hesitation moved its arm to stab the hedgehog. It got within ten centimeters before all his movements stopped. Eggman looked up with surprise. "Why are you stopping? Kill him now!" Metal Sonic made no movement but to drop Sonic, who had fainted from exhaustion. "I order you to obey my Metal Sonic! I order you!"

"This has gone on for long enough!" Mercury said, stepping forward with his hands raised. Eggman snapped round to see who would dare interfere with his plans.

"Who do you think you…" his jaw dropped as his beady eyes came to rest on the grey cat. "No," he gaped. "It can't be! It's impossible! You can't still be alive!" Mercury took a step back. This man knew him. This was impossibly lucky. Still keeping some of his power holding Metal Sonic in place, Mercury jumped up onto Dr Eggman's hover chair.

"You know who I am?" Mercury had to stop himself from grabbing the man's neck and shaking the answers out of him. "Tell me!" The overweight man seemed to look deep into Mercury's eyes, like he was searching his soul for something.

"I know what you are demon!" Dr Eggman whispered in fear, his moustache trembling. "I see what you've done!" An insane grin returned to his face. "Much as I'd like to stay here and talk, Mercury, I have better things to do." He pressed a button on his pod. The whole structure began to glow, and once again Mercury felt the searing pain strike his body. He hissed and jumped back as the pod disappeared. When the pain stopped Mercury looked up to see that the Doctor and Metal Sonic were both gone. Cassie ran to help him up. Mercury was too stunned to stop her.

_"How does he know who I am?" _Mercury wondered. _"What should I do now? Follow him?"_

_"You have to destroy Shadow,"_ the voice in his head said. Mercury groaned._ "He is a threat. All else can wait."_ For once the other voice came up with no argument, something that Mercury enjoyed. He was starting to feel like he was losing his mind.

"Hey!" Mercury looked up. The hedgehog called Sonic was standing in front of him, his hand out. "Thanks for the save back there." Mercury nodded absent-mindedly. In the corner of the mind he heard the crowd yelling something about him. Sonic waved to the people, and made a motion for Mercury to do the same. Mercury looked to Cassie for guidance, but the girl had her eyes glued on Sonic. Mercury felt a pang of emotion at being ignored; he couldn't put his finger on what to call it. He decided to work it out later, because he saw some people in uniform moving in from one of the side streets. He started to leave, trying to pull Cassie with him, but she resisted his touch.

"Come on Cassie! We have to get out of here!"

"Just give me a minute," she complained. "I've got to get his autograph!" Mercury sighed deeply. Sonic was still waving to the crowd, smiling broadly. For some reason, Mercury felt like he disliked the hedgehog, though he barely knew him. Dislike seemed to feel so much more natural to his mind compared to the happiness he'd felt all day, almost like had lived there for centuries. The feeling wasn't a pleasant one, and Mercury tried to remove it fro his mind instantly. Whatever these feelings were, he didn't want them, they made him feel hollow and empty. Suddenly, Mercury felt a hand on his shoulder. On instinct, he grabbed the wrist attached to the hand and twisted it as he turned round. The man on the other end resisted the movement and held both their hands firm. The man was a magenta lizard with a frill hanging round his neck. He wore the clothes of an army officer, high ranking by the insignia on his chest. The uniform was a dull green with a Nazi style jacket. Mercury noticed that the man carried no weapons. Two other soldiers stood behind their commander, guns in their hands.

"That's a pretty good trick," the lizard said. His voice was controlled and direct, as you would expect from an army officer. "I wonder where you learned to do that."

"Cassie," Mercury hissed to his companion. "We need to be going."

"You wouldn't happen to be the same cat from the downtown diner incident, would you?"

"Cassie! We're leaving!" The tarnished gold hedgehog spun round angrily.

"What is your problem Mercury?!" She noticed the officers a second too late. "Oh." Mercury took up a fighting stance, which the lizard mirrored.

"I suggest you accompany us willingly, Black Arms" he advised. "We don't want to hurt you."

"What is he talking about Mercury?" Cassie asked him.

"I don't know. I don't know anything!"

_"Kill them!"_ the voice in his head insisted. _"It's the logical solution."_

_"Nothing today has been logical!"_

_"Do it! It would be so easy."_

"NO!" he screamed out loud. Cassie, the lizard, and the rest of the crowd all stared at him.

"Is there a problem, Captain Tange?" Sonic said, as he walked quickly over.

"This person is a danger to society, Sonic," the Captain informed him. "We are taking him into custody."

"You mean the guy who just saved my life?" Not visibly, Mercury could sense barely controlled rage coming from the lizard directed at Sonic. The cat could guess that Sonic wasn't the most law-abiding celebrity.

"Yes Sonic," he seethed. "People have the ability to pretend to do good, or even do good and still be evil."

"Well, I don't think so." Sonic moved between the two of them. "He helped me and I think…"

"Sonic!" Someone was barging his way through the crowd. Whoever it was was fairly short, because Mercury couldn't see him over the other animaloids. Eventually, a yellow fox squeezed his way out of the pack and landed in front of the blue hedgehog.

"What is it Tails?"

"There's some alien on the loose around town. He managed to escape Shadow and Rouge and…" Tails stuttered as he looked over at Mercury. "You!"

_"This just isn't my day!"_

_"Now does killing everyone sound like a good idea?"_

_"Shut up!"_ With one effortless leap, Mercury back flipped up five stories to the roof behind him.

"What are you doing?" Cassie yelled at him.

"I'm sorry Cassie," Mercury replied. "But I can't get caught now." He turned his attention to the one Sonic had called Tails, the one from the lab earlier. "Give this message to Shadow. I want to meet him in…" He stopped for a second, thinking. "The place where they were rebuilding the city structures.

"The construction site?"

"Yes that. Tonight. Alone." Mercury went to leave, but Sonic appeared behind him, blocking his path.

"You're not going anywhere until you explain what's going on!"

"I don't want to hurt you Sonic, but I must complete my mission. Stand aside!"

"Not a chance!" Sonic began charging a spin dash, and then rocketed towards the cat, who flipped him easily. The blue hedgehog stopped before he overshot the roof and turned back to Mercury, but the cat was already in front of him, slamming his fist into Sonic's chest. Sonic managed to dodge the second attack and retreated a few steps, panting.

"You are tired from your previous battle Sonic. You cannot beat me now."

"Yeah right!" Sonic jumped in the air and began spinning. "Try this on for size." Mercury waited for Sonic to land, but the hedgehog shot forward and downwards towards him. "Homing attack!" Taken by surprise, Mercury took the attack's full force. He fell back, grunting slightly.

"That was theoretically impossible!" he yelled angrily. "It defies the laws of physics!"

"Well so does this!" Sonic ran forward, breaking the speed barrier in two steps. In front of Mercury, he flipped to do an axe kick on the cat's head while still at his top speed. The plan would have worked, except that Mercury somehow managed to catch his speeding shin as it came down. Sonic fell on his head, his leg still in Mercury's iron grip.

"I'm really sorry about this." With a flick, Mercury snapped Sonic's leg bone. The cracking sound was unmistakable. Sonic yelled in pain. Mercury dropped his leg and leapt over the rooftops and away.

"Ow!"

"Quit whining Shadow," Rouge muttered as she removed the cutlery from the back of Shadow's legs. "My homes in ruins, my head feels like a boom box hit it and my wrist is twisted. If anyone should be complaining, it should be me." She gave the metal another tug, making Shadow yell again.

"Tell that to my bleeding fleash!" the ebony hedgehog grunted. The two of them were inside the back room of_ Club Rouge_ since the front room looked like a bomb testing site. Shadow was lying on Rouge's desk as she tended to his wounds, even after he had told her not to. Jack had been apologizing non-stop until Rouge sent him to get medical supplies. Rouge wouldn't fire him; he was too good a doorman. But she wouldn't let him know that just yet."

"Who is he?" she asked Shadow as she applied disinfectant to his wounds.

"How the hell would I know?"

"Well he sure knows you."

"A lot of people know me."

"He seems to hate you."

"Everyone hates me. Now can we stop this discussion?" Shadow was getting rater annoyed, not with Rouge in particular, but with himself. He'd been beaten by a complete random. What had happened?! He was very strong, that was for sure, and his magnetism powers were very dangerous. But what was wrong with him? Why had he felt pain when Shadow used Chaos control? Shadow didn't have an answer for any of theses questions, and not knowing frustrated him.

The trail of self absorbed thoughts ended as Ienzo slammed the door and entered spontaneously. He stopped in front of the two agents, panting heavily.

"What is it?" Shadow asked. The raven held up his hand to stop her, hunched over and gasped for air. Rouge looked disgusted.

"When was the last time you went jogging?" Ienzo held up three fingers. "Three days?"

"Months," he said between gasps. Taking one final breath he pulled himself upright. "I ran all the way here because Tails and I have worked out what that controller does." Shadow sat bolt upright.

"What does it do?"

"Like you guessed before, it's a form of the Black Arms controller, but about a billion times more complex. It can control every form of the subject's movements. It can render whoever it's controlling completely helpless to the will of the controller, if the controller knows how to use it."

"Anything else?"

"The control signature is very personalized. There are only ten listed subjects, and we were only able to get a match for one of them."

"Let me guess, is it me?"

"Correct!" Ienzo smiled smugly. "So how'd I do?" Rouge smiled, more mockingly then happily.

"That's not even close to what you need to do to impress me," she told the younger animaloid.

"I wasn't asking you, batty."

"What did you say?" Rouge stood up in front of the raven, although he was easily as tall as she was.

"I said…" The door slamming again ended the argument. Captain Tange and Tails entered, carrying an unconscious Sonic between them.

"What happened to him?" Shadow's voice said that he didn't care how Sonic felt.

"We ran into Mercury, and Sonic tried to stop him getting away. He broke Sonic's leg."

"Really? Why didn't I ever think of that?"

"Shadow!" The dark hedgehog ignored Tails' disgusted look. Then he noticed a girl behind the limp Sonic. A familiar tarnished gold hedgehog. Without a word, he got off the table, not even wincing at the wounds in his legs, and walked over to her. Cassandra backed off fearfully as Shadow grasped the front of her ragged shirt, lifting her off her feet.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered threateningly.

"Mercury escaped without me," she said bitterly. "I'm here because lizard man there arrested me." Shadow looked back at him commanding officer, and Tange nodded his recognition. "Mercury wants to meet you at the construction site, alone."

"Why?"

"Mercury's not evil Shadow," she tried to explain. "He's just confused. He has no memory but all he can remember is that he believes you will cause the destruction of the world."  
"Why should I believe you? You could be a spy with him." Behind him, both Rouge and Captain Tange looked skeptical.

"You're grasping at straws with that one Shad," Rouge said.

"She's right." Everyone turned to Sonic, who was now lying on the table. He had raised himself on his arms, but his face was pale and sweaty.

"I am?"

"Not you, Cassandra. Mercury tried to escape without hurting anyone, he told me so. He even apologized to me."

"People can lie," Shadow said in conviction.

"Believe what you want. You were always too rigid." Sonic gave a moan of pain and fainted again. Tails went to his friend's aid, as everyone else stared at Shadow.

"So what are you going to do now?" Anyone could have asked the question, because it was the only one left to ask.

"He wants to end this now," Shadow said, almost to himself. "So do I." He started to move for the door, but before he could Cassie grabbed his arm.

"Please don't hurt him!" she pleaded. "It's not his fault."

"I make no promises that I cannot keep." And with that, he was gone.

**Sorry this is a day late. I had end of year exams taking up my free time during the week. Longest chapter so far, so please forgive me. Antares out.**


	8. Aggresive Debates

At the construction site Mercury sat cross-legged. He'd spotted the place when he'd been walking to Club Rouge. It was a half finished office block, the top half completely open with only the skeletal supports for each room in place. It was already getting dark and all of the workers had gone home, leaving Mercury to face Shadow in peace and safety.

_"Safety?"_ Mercury thought with the ghost of a smile. _"One, if not both of us are about to be screwed to hell. I'm pretty sure that's not safe, by anyone's distinction."_

_"Now you will see what evil this hedgehog is." _Mercury was sure that if these voices kept up for any longer he would end up beating himself to death.

_"Are you sure about what you're doing?"_ the kind voice interjected._ "Is this really the best solution?"_

_"It's the only solution," _Mercury thought firmly. He'd decided that the voices weren't his own, but some outside source, so answering them didn't make him mad.

_"Why? Is being mad that bad?"_ Mercury took a mental breath, and stopped. Why did he think it was bad to be mad? Come to think of it, what did madness truly mean? He wasn't sure, and tried to search his brain for an answer. This probably would have gone on for an age, if a sudden burst of pain hadn't rocked the cat's body.

"He's here." Ignoring the pain, Mercury stood up and readied himself for battle. An instant later, the black and red hedgehog Shadow appeared in a flash of light. He landed a few meters from Mercury into a similar fighting stance to the cat's own, ready for and ambush. When none came, he turned to face Mercury.

"I'm here Black Arms," he said, distaste evident in his voice. "Now what do you want?"

"What makes you so sure that I'm Black Arms?"

"Don't give me that! You're trying to kill me, you're an alien, you have abnormal abilities, you know I'm Doom's offspring, you're affected by Chaos energy, and you arrived in a Black Arms escape pod with a Black Arms controller." Something buzzed Mercury's memory.

"What controller?" Shadow sneered at his adversary.

"Wouldn't you like to know?!" The hedgehog charged at Mercury, his fists raised. Mercury's arm snapped up to block the strike, and was rewarded with a solid and painful thud. More punches came, each blocked or redirected by Mercury's forearms. Shadow was a vicious fighter, anger pouring out of every blow. After his initial attack failed, he jumped back for a moment, and began to spin as Sonic had.

"Not you too!" Mercury flipped through the open roof and avoided the charge, but Shadow braked with his air shoes and sent himself up after him. Moving again, Mercury jumped from beam to beam, moving higher as Shadow came closer with each jump. Mercury was thinking fast. Shadow was faster and stronger than he was, making a direct face off out of the question. On top of that, as long as he could use that Chaos energy thing Shadow had the advantage. Mercury needed a way to slow him down. As he jumped to the next beam, he touched his fingers to the rough metal and leapt away. Shadow followed, but as he reached that bar, his foot sank through the metal like a weight on putty. Seeing his plan working, Mercury jumped back and hardened the metal again, trapping Shadow's legs. The hedgehog tried to move his feet but to no avail as Mercury walked towards him. "You are evil," Mercury said. "Your actions will lead to the destruction of this world. I must erase you before you try to. This I know."

"_Do you?" _the voice in his head asked him. _"Do you really?"_

"I'll tell you what kid," Shadow said in frustration. "You're a bit late. I've already tried to destroy the Earth." With a roar, Shadow shattered the metal beam with a single punch. Mercury held up his hands to reassemble the support, but Shadow moved too fast and Mercury was forced to abandon his efforts and flee again. Now Mercury had another problem. He was running out of building to run up. Soon he'd either have to face Shadow or free fall down two hundred meters. He looked back at the angry hedgehog on his tail.

"_Definitely free fall."_ As they reached the final bars, Mercury stopped abruptly. Shadow came up to punch him, but the bar he stood on suddenly bent upwards, causing the hedgehog to miss his mark and have to homing attack to another bar. Now Mercury stood on one of the poles sticking out of the sites top. He was waiting for him. With a snap, Shadow teleported to a similar pole and faced his grey adversary.

"So you have already attempted to destroy this place?" Mercury accused, pointing at Shadow. "Why do they now see you as their hero then? Have you brainwashed them?" Shadow laughed.

"No. I tried to destroy the world to give them justice for the sins they commit. They are not perfect, and each one of them has a list of faults miles long."

"Then why did you stop?"

"I learned that people have the capacity to do good inside them, no matter what their evils." Shadow looked down. "I nearly killed billions of innocents because of the cruelty other had left in my memory. I save them now as a penance for those actions."

_"See,"_ the voice said. _"He is not a threat. You have no need to kill him."_

_"What about Doom?" _the other voice argued. _"He could still be turned by him, even if he's telling the truth!"_

"What of Black Doom then?" Mercury asked. "What would you do if he, your father, ordered you to destroy them?" Shadow seemed to see it as a conviction that Mercury was working for Black Doom, whoever he was.

"Black Doom is dead! I killed him myself, and soon you will join him!" Surprise hit Mercury first, followed by a sense of relief. Whoever this Doom fellow was gone, so there was no threat to comprehend. But this lasted only half a second, as Mercury felt his entire front burn.

_"Damn it!"_ Shadow crash tackled him out of a Chaos control, throwing them both off the side of the building. Mercury felt knuckles and muscle bound bone striking him everywhere. Mercury managed to kick the hedgehog off him, but Shadow just used his rocket shoes to throw himself back again. Now Mercury was blocking his punches again, throwing a few of his own as they fell towards the concrete sidewalk. Around halfway down, Shadow drew away again. _"What's he doing?"_ Mercury didn't have to wait long to find out. With the untamed scream of a wild animal, Shadow threw himself forward with his fist glowing with energy. Mercury felt the pain before he even made contact as the Chaos burned his conscience. He tried to catch Shadow's fist in his palm, and the impact caused his entire hand to explode into a silver liquid. The new pain, physical pain, wasn't nearly as bad as the chaos burns, but they still made Mercury shriek. Shadow smiled at Mercury's agony, but soon the smile disappeared as the remains of Mercury's hand began to attract back onto the end of his arm.

"What the hell?" Mercury looked at his hand as the grey fur re-grew from the metallic skin.

_"Metal skin, metal fur, metal blood, metal bones. This just got a whole lot more interesting."_ Mercury grinned at Shadow, and threw a massive straight punch carried by his magnetic powers into the stunned hedgehog's chest, sending him back at the half finished building. He broke a few walls and supports on his reentry, but Mercury wasn't watching. He was less than forty meters from the ground now. Going on a hunch, Mercury focused on the newfound metal in his body, forcing it to slow his decent. His focus slipped a bit, and he felt as if parts of his body were being ripped from others as he tried to control all the different metals that made up his body at once, but five meters from the ground he stopped completely. Mercury let out a deep sigh before sending himself up into the building again to find Shadow.

Shadow was on one of the middle levels, groaning against a wall. Broken support beams and scattered tools lay in disarray where they'd been sent by his unexpected landing. Every inch of the ultimate lifeform hurt, even inches he didn't know existed, let alone could feel pain. This cat was the most powerful enemy he'd fought in a long time. His powers were similar to Silver the Hedgehog's, a psychic from the far-flung future. But unlike Silver, Mercury seemed to have been made to fight like this, his skills honed to a point. Shadow didn't like fighting Silver, he was one of the only people alive able to beat the black hedgehog to a stalemate. This guy was on a whole other level. But Shadow still had a whole book of tricks left up his sleeve.

Shadow rose painfully, hearing a good three of his ribs crack in the process. Ignoring the pain, Shadow pulled out his chaos emerald. Ancient power able to be tapped by only a select few flowed through Shadow's blood, strengthening and healing him. In seconds all his broken bones, torn muscles and lost blood was restored. Shadow felt refreshed, but he didn't put the gemstone away just yet. He still had a lesson to teach this alien about the power of the Ultimate Lifeform.

Mercury flew through the unfinished corridors; following the trail of destruction Shadow's body had left until he found the hedgehog. Shadow stood waiting for him. Mercury was surprised to say the least. He'd expected to find his enemy beaten, bruised and unconscious, but here he stood like he'd just walked out of a spa! On top of that, Shadow was smiling in a knowing and disturbing way. He'd just gone through around five metal bars for heaven's sake, and here he was grinning like a madman! What was going on?!

It was only now that Mercury noticed the stone in Shadow's hand. The gem was beautiful, a perfectly cut green gem that seemed to glisten with energy. Yet Mercury could sense that this power wasn't going to be a blessing, especially in the hands of a trained fighter. This wasn't going to end well.

"Do you know what this is?" Shadow asked calmly as Mercury landed. Every part of his body language proclaimed his confidence like a megaphone. This wasn't going to end well at all.

"I have no idea what it is," Mercury said bluntly.

"It's a chaos emerald." Mercury flinched at the word chaos. "With it, my powers increase by tenfold."

"Well then I'm just going to have to fight ten times harder!" Mercury snapped his hands out and every abandoned tool around them flew at Shadow. All the hedgehog did was sneer at the cat's efforts. With a snap of his fingers, Shadow disappeared from the path of the projectiles in a flash. Mercury let the now familiar wave of pain flow through his concentration, forgetting it instantly to keep his guard ready.

"Do you honestly think you can defeat me now?" Shadow's voice echoed around Mercury.

"I must! You are an evil that cannot be left to survive. If this Doom is dead, as you say, then you as he descendant must die so that his line may stop."

"Weren't you listening when I said I killed him?!"

"It doesn't matter! I will kill you to stop you hurting anyone else!"

"Good. So we're both fighting for the same reason." Mercury's burning left arm warned him of Shadow's attack and he rolled clear as Shadow slammed downwards out of nothing. Abandoning the useless tools, Mercury began swinging the broken support beams at Shadow, but these attempts were futile as Shadow smacked them aside with one hand, his other still holding the emerald. Soon these too were as good as useless. Casting them aside, Mercury was forced to his last resort as Shadow walked unhindered towards him. Melting his hands he reformed them into sharpened blades. With these, he charged at the ebony hedgehog desperately. "Fool," Shadow muttered. Swinging his chaos infused forearms he shattered both blades like cheap toys. His arms still reforming, Mercury was completely open. Shadow went to strike, but Mercury twisted the stumps on his arms and Shadow felt his shoes being pulled from under him. "Not again!" In a second Shadow was upside down and Mercury's hands had reformed.

"Any last words?" Mercury asked Shadow mockingly as his fingers extended into spikes pointed at Shadow's furry chest.

"Go to hell!" Shadow crossed his hands over his chest while holding his emerald that Mercury had forgotten to relieve him of. "Chaos…"

"Oh not again!"

"Blast"

Pure chaos energy spread out from the Ultimate Lifeform's body, atomizing anything lighter than lead at a single touch. Mercury could feel the energy trying to split the bonds that held his body together, but whatever he was made of was denser than anything ever seen on Earth before. But this pain was like acupuncture compared to what was going on inside his mind. From the moment the chaos had touched his body, Mercury's head felt like billions of people were screaming inside his head. Not scared screams, not horror screams, not even agony screams. They were the death screams of billions echoing inside his skull. It was like plugging his head into all the televisions on earth playing the most horrible movies at full volume. It was unbearable. Mercury clawed at his head, trying to get the voices out, but nothing would stop them. Soon the grey cat simply added his screams to the euphoria, and he fell to his knees wailing along with the voices in his head.

Shadow flipped as he fell two stories from where Mercury had been holding him. Every floor, wall and piece of material within a twenty meter radius of where he'd unleashed his power was now no more than a soup of protons and electrons. Nothing could have survived that sort of blast.

It was now that Shadow noticed the screams. He turned round to see Mercury, his cloak gone and his suit underneath melted to his flesh but still alive, screaming in an ungodly manner on his knees. But he wasn't gripping any sort of wound on his body, but he was clawing at his head as if trying to get a troop of ants out of his cranium. Tears flowed through his tightly shut eyes.

"Make them stop!" he cried without any reason. "Make the screams stop! I can't take it!" The comment puzzled Shadow even more then the point that Mercury had survived the equivalent of a concentrated atom bomb. There were no screams here, so the only place they could be was in his head. But what would be screaming inside his head.

"_Maria!"_ The name sprung into his mind without prompting. Shadow shook his head. He had sworn to forget his childhood friend after he had fulfilled her final request to save to world from the Black Arms. He had destroyed their home, the Black Comet, in the final battle with Black Doom, and that would have stopped the creation of any new spawn. He had been so sure of it. But now… Shadow raised his hand over the helpless cat to deliver the killing blow.

He didn't do it.

Once again, a comparison to Silver sprung to his mind. Silver had come from the future to destroy a threat to his world, but had been misguided into thinking that Sonic was the threat. He had attempted to kill the hero and anyone with him until he had realized that he had been wrong. Now he was one of their greatest allies. This cat's story sounded awfully similar to Silver's. Could killing him now really be the right thing to do?

"_Remember what he is,"_ common sense told him._ Remember what his kind is capable of."_ Shadow looked down at the small, pitiful creature that had curled up and fainted at his feet. Another picture came into Shadow's head of a similar misunderstood creature that had crawled out of a pod with nothing but taunting memories to try and understand. Without a word, he picked up the cat and headed back to Tails' lab.

Mercury woke from his slumber slowly, his mind easing itself into action. His first thought was one of surprise.

"_I blacked out in the middle of a battle. I should be dead now."_ He eased his eyes open slowly, allowing the retina to adjust to the light. It was now that he noticed that he was in the same lab that he'd first woken up in that morning, except this time he wasn't bound to the table. The room was still in the same disarray that it had been in when he left it, but now all the metal had been removed. Someone didn't fully trust him.

The click of shoes heralded the arrival of another. Mercury turned to se Shadow walking off the far wall. The hedgehog's stance wasn't an aggressive or threatening one, but it was alert. He hadn't removed his shoes, which either meant he trusted Mercury or was an idiot, and this one wasn't stupid.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Mercury asked.

"You are not an enemy," Shadow said. "You are just misled. You weren't trying to kill me for the sake of evil, so I have no reason to end your life. Are you going to attack me again?" Shadow held out his hand. "Or take the help I can give you?"

_"You must!"_ the harsh voice in his head said. _"It is your duty!"_

_"Has he not already proved that what you _think_ is wrong?"_ the other voice said._ "Not destroying you was the crucible of the matter. He is not what you thought he was, at least not any more." _Mercury began reaching for Shadow's hand.

_"NOOO!"_ A wave of nausea hit Mercury as his palm touched Shadow's and the voice went dead silent. Shadow nodded solemnly.

"Now that that's settled, there's someone who wants to see you." Mercury looked at him curiously.

"Who would that…?" As he spoke, Cassandra barged through the door, a stunned raven and kitsune falling to either side of the entrance. The girl's face was red with anger. Mercury began backing away.

"You slippery little dirtbag!"

"Cassie, please understand," Mercury said with more fear on his face then all through the battle with Shadow. "I didn't want to leave you, but I was cornered and I needed to escape and…" The rest of his desperate explanation wasn't heard as he began running away from the golden hedgehog.

"Get back here!" she yelled. "I'm not done with you yet!" Tails and Ienzo dived out of the way as the cat sprinted through the doorway, Cassie hot on his heels. The bird and fox both looked at each other with the exact same thought.

"You think?"

"Definitely a relation of Amy's."

Outside the building, Tange and Rouge waited for Shadow in silence. Government business was never done with small talk in between. Finally, Shadow and Ienzo both exited and walked over.

"How did he react?" the Captain asked.

"He accepted my offer for help," Shadow replied. "He seemed ready to believe that Doom was dead without any trouble. I think that Cassandra was telling the truth about his memory as well. He honestly has no clue about his past." Tange turned to Ienzo. Even at only fourteen, Ienzo was one of the most skilled scientists and psychologists GUN knew of.

"Shadow's gut is right, for once. I didn't spot any signs of lying. No fidgeting hands, no twitchy eyes, nothing. He's either very well trained or completely truthful."

"Well, if you want to help him, he's your responsibility. I want this kept off the record for now, so try to keep it quiet. We don't want global panic about another invasion, now do we."

"You expect this to be kept under wraps even after he was seen in downtown and with Sonic?" Rouge said. "There'll be rumors flying round before you can blink." Tange's frill bristled, the only sign that the bat's comments aggravated him.

"Then that's all they will be, Agent Rouge. Rumors. Contact me first if anything turns up and keep both Mercury and the girl with you." With a flick of his tail, Captain Tange left down the street.

"So what are we going to do with them now?" Rouge asked. "We can't just put them on the street, someone would find them."

"We need to keep them with us," Shadow thought out loud. "If we offered them accommodation, they wouldn't decline."

"Where?" Rouge asked. Shadow and Ienzo both glanced at Rouge avertedly, but the ivory bat noticed and understood. "Oh no. They're not going within a hundred meters of _Club Rouge_! Do you know how much those repairs are going to cost? Why don't they stay at your house Shadow?"

"I don't have a house," Shadow reminded her. "I crash at your place or wherever I can." Rouge snorted disdainfully.

"They could stay here," Ienzo suggested. Both agents looked at him in surprise. "There's the spare room in the attic and Tails wouldn't object."

"Why?" The question was put in a hard tone that implied he wouldn't take any lies. Ienzo shrugged.

"I want to study the alien further. And this is the easiest solution to the problem. I can be nice you know, I'm not stingy like Rouge." The heated hatred in bat's glare at the last comment would have put the man of steel to shame.

"Fair enough." Shadow didn't ask anything further, though he expected there was more to it. He walked back inside, the slate raven following quickly as to not be left alone with the venomous Rouge.


	9. Superior Sibling

"Come on, one test!" Ienzo begged.

"For the last time Ienzo, no," Mercury muttered. He was sitting across from Tails, a chessboard between them. Mercury couldn't remember ever playing the game, but he knew all the rules somehow and had beat Cassie and Ienzo when they'd showed him the game. Now he was playing the two tailed fox, who had challenged him to prove he was still the smartest in the house. They'd already had three stalemates and they were hoping not to get a fourth. "You are not sticking electrodes in my head to jolt my memory!"

"Come on! Don't you want to know about your past?"

"Not so desperately that I want to ruin any hope I have for a future." The greasy raven huffed loudly and stomped off like a child. Mercury sighed. Over the last two weeks he'd been stuck in this house with nearly nothing to occupy his time. Without his urge to kill Shadow, Mercury had nothing to do but get to know the people around him better. And in two weeks, he probably knew their lives better than they did. He knew that Cassandra was an orphan since birth and had lived on the street her entire life, making money doing odd jobs and such. Her life had been normal of any street urchin until she'd seen Gary, the bear from the diner, in association with a murder and had to stand up in court giving evidence against him.

"If you went into court, didn't that mean the government knew you were on the streets alone?" was Mercury's first response at this point. He'd grasped from a few books he found that the people in charge generally didn't think it right to have kids alone on the street. He was still trying to figure out why. Cassie snorted at the comment.

"What, and end up in an orphanage? No thank you!" To satisfy Mercury's curiosity, she'd then had to go into a long explanation as to what an orphanage was and why it wasn't good to be in one. After that she didn't speak about her past that much. He did grasp that Gary had escaped and tried to get back at her for reporting him. She wouldn't tell him how he'd tried to get revenge though. Every time he asked she looked at her feet and changed the subject. Eventually he just gave up.

Ienzo and Tails, as owners of the building, were there constantly. Both were skilled inventors and different people often came round asking for their help. Most of them seemed to be friends of Tails with a few members of some organization called the Guardians of the United Nations, GUN, coming round to consult Ienzo. Mercury found it strange that two people so young could have so many seeming powerful people asking for their help. He'd asked Tails about, who'd just laughed modestly.

"They all just think we're skilled at what we do. It's nothing really." Sonic, Tails guest at that time, had been listening, and groaned.

"Stop talking yourself down, buddy! You're the best mechanic on Earth, hands down. Don't forget that!" Tails had blushed furiously at Sonic's praise. Mercury had learned that Sonic was Tails' best friend and his idol. He was some sort of hotshot hero. He seemed kind enough, and had readily forgiven Mercury for breaking his leg. "No harm done," he said with a smile. "I heard you gave Shadow a good beating, which is all the apology I need." The phrase hadn't made much sense until Mercury had found out that Shadow and Sonic were rivals.

Shadow had been around a few times, usually just to pick up some gadget from Tails' workshop for GUN. He didn't really seem like the talking type, more of a man of action. One time though, he, the bat Rouge and Captain Tange had come round and asked him about his memories. He'd told them all he knew, which was next to nothing. All he could really tell them were the names he remembered: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Each name had popped into his head when he'd been thinking about something he'd seen, each time relating it to the one of them. A few times a feeling had come with the name, his hair stood on end when he thought of Jupiter and he felt cold and soggy with Neptune He guessed that they must be the other failures like him, whatever that meant. Neither Rouge nor Tange seemed happy with his progress, but Shadow silenced them if they tried to criticize him. The dark furred hedgehog seemed to be defending him, and Mercury had no clue why. But it didn't really matter, as he wasn't around long enough for Mercury to ask him. The lack of action did have one benefit though.

The voices in his head had stopped.

Tails moved his rook, taking one of Mercury's pawns. The cat watched the move intently, taking in both the benefits and the consequences of his opponents move. In response, he moved one of his knights back to attack the rook. Different moves followed, one player chasing the other's king, until both of them were left with nothing more than a king, a bishop and a knight each.

"I believe that's stalemate again," Tails said. Mercury nodded. The boy matched his skill well, and he doubted either of them would be winning straight games anytime soon.

"It would appear so Neptune." Tails looked at him in surprise. Mercury sighed and nearly hit himself "I called you Neptune again, didn't I?" Tails nodded. For some reason, every time Mercury looked up from the board he expected to be facing whoever this Neptune person was, and it was beginning to irritate him. Why couldn't he just know what was going on?

"Maybe you should take up Ienzo's offer," Tails suggested.

"Yes," Mercury murmured. "Maybe I will."

"OK Mercury," Ienzo said from outside the medical room. "This may shock you a bit." The alien cat was once again strapped down to the table, his hands and legs held down more as a precaution rather than to actually restrain him. A strange contraption was strapped to his head, a metal cap with lights on it and wires running into the walls.

"Remind me how this is going to work again?" Mercury asked.

"The volts of electricity I'm going to send through the cap should stimulate the part of your brain that holds memories, thereby allowing you full access to what is stored there. In theory it should be a flawless transaction."

"In theory?" Mercury said suspiciously.

"It's been done before, trust me."

_"That's reassuring!"_

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cassie asked him from outside. "You could just wait for them to come back on their own you know."

"I'm sure Ienzo has tested this to make sure it's completely safe, Cassie. Haven't you Ienzo." Mercury could hear the raven hesitate. "Ienzo?!"

"There's always a first," the young scientist said.

"What?!" There was a distinct click and buzz, and Mercury felt sparks entering into his head painfully. He could feel every erratic movement the electrical current made as it passed through his metallic brain. A few stray volts hit the link from his eyes to his brain, and the balls of fluid began spinning uncontrollably. Mercury felt parts of his mind shutting down around each other, and he felt his conscience slip away…

_Mercury was on his knees, gasping for air. The floor was padded slightly, as if it was meant to be fallen on. The floor of a training room perhaps? He found again that he couldn't control his body. He was at the mercy of his past self. Mercury could hear laughing, the cackle of a bird, loud enough to signify a very large bird indeed. _

_"Oh come on brother! Can't the first of the failures do any better?" Mercury recognized Jupiter's voice from his past memory recalls._

_"At least I fight fair, brother," Mercury spat into the ground. "I have some sense of honour in me." The laughing increased by a few decibels._

_"Honour?" Jupiter said. "Since when has honour ever been a part of war? How could a master warrior like you ever worry about something so trivial? You've been spending too much time with Neptune, brother. His ideals are sending you soft." Mercury's head snapped back and he looked straight at the giant eagle in front of him. With one movement, he pushed himself to his feet, using his powers to carry himself over the ground at alarming speed towards Jupiter. Despite his size, Jupiter dodged Mercury with tremendous ease. Breaking by stopping his magnetic bones, Mercury turned and charged Jupiter again. The gigantic bird swayed and Mercury missed again, and this time Jupiter kicked him hard in the back as he passed. The shear power of the kick broke Mercury's spine, and pain rippled over his entire torso. Without even moving or grimacing, Mercury felt himself realign the two metal pieces like a puzzle, placing them together with practiced precision. He was panting again, but he saw that Jupiter wasn't even tired. On the contrary, he stood in a relaxed pose, one hand by his side, the other beckoning Mercury to try again. Fury trumping common sense, Mercury feet carried him at his so called brother again. One of his hands melted away and formed into a wicked blade, and Mercury swung this weapon with murderous intent._

_"Taste this!" he roared._

_"Gladly." With one hand, Jupiter caught the attack, letting the blade dig into his flesh. It appeared to be a painful blow, but Jupiter simply smiled, as if he felt nothing at all. His golden eyes glinted with a vicious passion as he grabbed Mercury's other arm and lifted the smaller alien off the ground. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, brother," the eagle whispered mercilessly. "But you never seem to learn." Sparks flashed in Jupiter's eyes. Mercury's mouth swore as he watched the spark run out of those eyes and along his body, down his arms until they stopped at his wrists. "Do you wish to surrender?" Jupiter offered mockingly._

_"Never!" Mercury seethed, his body braced for what was going to come next. Jupiter shrugged, the movement shaking Mercury unintentionally. The sparks moved along his fingers and traveled into Mercury's body. Mercury felt himself scream, as the sparks moved inside him, like worms of magma burning everything they touched. Jupiter began laughing again and more sparks moved into the cat in his hands. Through the pain, Mercury sensed his arms melting. Initially, he was scared that Jupiter's incredible electric powers were overheating his skin, but then he saw the liquid metal wrap around the eagle's arms. Three times as many sparks began touching his skin, but now Jupiter saw what he was doing._

_"What the…?" He tried to drop Mercury, but the metal twisted round his arms refused to let go. Mercury felt the edges of his mouth twitch, though he couldn't be sure whether he was smiling or if a volt had hit one of his facial nerves. With one pull, Mercury slammed his head into Jupiter's, breaking his beak. He reeled back, but Mercury wasn't done yet. Still being electrocuted, he slammed his knees into the bird's upper chest, winding him and breaking a majority of his ribcage. Still Mercury didn't let the bird go. Mercury crossed his arms so that Jupiter's forearms were crossed over each other. This time, Mercury was certain he smiled._

_"I hate you!" Jupiter cursed._

_"I can live with that." Mercury slammed both of Jupiter's arms together, the bones splintering on impact with each other. With a single tearing movement, Mercury ripped the eagle's arms in half along the fracture lines. He jumped away, and Jupiter collapsed to his two unusually bloodless stumps. Mercury reformed his arms, dropping Jupiter's remains with a sickening thud. Mercury felt himself laughing joyfully at his own success, althought the joy wasn't completely there. It was like a robot's laugh, nothing more than a copy. He saw that Jupiter's shoulders were shaking, but he wasn't crying. He was laughing as well. The eagle rose to his feet as easily as he had dodged Mercury's first attacks. Mercury's mind was shocked, and for once his body was the same. "But I could have sworn…"_

_"It was a good attempt brother," Jupiter said, hints of sarcasm a plenty. "Better than our siblings at least." With two flashes of lightning Jupiter's hands returned to his body. "But I will always be the greatest failure!" He raised his hand, and a bolt like a bullet train shot at Mercury. There was no escape. The force slammed Mercury against the far wall, this time breaking more than just his spine. He coughed, a silvery matter splattering the ground in front of him. Even through this, Mercury had somehow managed to speak._

_"You may be the strongest," he said, his lungs protesting with word. " You may even end up being the last of us. But you can never be the greatest failure, and you know why!" Jupiter's good mood disappeared instantly, replaced by an expression as cold and impassable as stone. Without a word, he raised his hand, summoning a bolt even larger than the previous one. Mercury looked away as the beam of pure electric energy neared him. Yet a cruel smile still remained on his lips._

"Aaaaahh!" Mercury woke up screaming. He'd done it so suddenly that he knocked over a concerned Cassie. The Tails and Ienzo were standing over him as well. Mercury panted heavily, noticing he was drenched in a cold sweat.

"Are you alright?" Cassie asked quickly.

"Did my idea worked?" Cassie glared at Ienzo, and Mercury noticed that in his face feathers was a depression awfully similar to Cassie's hand.

"I'm fine," Mercury assured them. "And yes, it worked."

"So as I didn't nearly kill you, she didn't have the right to slap me?"

"No, you did nearly kill me." Mercury was grinning evilly. "It was just coincidence that I remembered anything. She has every right to hit you." Cassandra saw his smile, and mirrored it. Ienzo began backing towards the door. Cassandra began following, and the slate raven sprinted away.

"You're pure evil," Tails said to Mercury as they watched their mutual friends running. "You know that?" Mercury nodded, still grinning. "So what did you learn from your memories?"

"Firstly, I am an idiot for ever thinking that idea of Ienzo's would work!" Tails nodded in amused agreement. "Secondly, I'm damn glad that Jupiter or any of the other Failures are anywhere near here. If the others are anything like Jupiter, I doubt I could beat any of them."

Deep in downtown Westopolis silence and shadows reigned supreme. They were all powerful; nothing could challenge their control of the night streets. Nothing made on Earth at least. Without warning, a beam of light from the clouds illuminated the darkness of a secluded alley for a second. Then it was gone. A few members of a local gang, drunk and stoned as hell, saw the light and thought it would be a good idea to investigate. They were young and cocky, think they were invincible. Little did they know their own vulnerability. The group moved to the alley, looking for what had made the light. There was only one thing in the alley: a wolf crouched low, sniffing the air. He was fairly big, with thin rusty fur outlining bulging muscles. All he wore was a skintight suit that did nothing but outline his muscles even more. Across his back were two weapons, a large broadsword and a smaller, twin bladed longsword. Two hunting knives hung around his belt. The weapons should have screamed 'Stay Away', but all that the group saw was one man on four. The leader of the group, an orange rat, stepped up to the figure.

"Hey man!" he said with an Australian accent. "Whada'ya think you're doing here? This is Mextoren territory. Get moving before we hurt ya!" The snake went to push the wolf, but the wolf grabbed his hand out of the air. He stood up and turned round, bearing his teeth at the idiot who dared cross him. The tips of each tooth looked permanently bloodstained.

"Fool!" the wolf said softly, imitating the Australian's accent. Like a machine, the wolf's jaws sprung around the unfortunate rat's neck. He held it there for a second, feeling through his jaw the creature's trembling fear. Then he pulled his head back, tearing his victim's throat clean out. Dropping the dead leader's body, he turned to the remainder of the group. Two of them were already charging at him, empty bottles of alcohol their makeshift weapons. The wolf grinned at their pathetic attempts. Using no more energy than it took to swat a fly, he whacked them into the alley walls, their hearts stopping with the shock of the impacts. The wolf went over and bit their throats, just to make sure. The last one, a black snake, stood at the entrance to the alley waiting for the rusty red wolf to come to him. This gang member wasn't drunk, or an idiot. Once the wolf was done, he turned to the snake.

"You are a strong adversary," the snake said, his words well annunciated yet hesitant, with an Asian accent. The snake pulled a katana from his back, pointing the tip at the wolf's eyes. "I will add you to my body count to raise my honour!"

"So there is a true warrior here," the wolf replied. His voice was gruff and harsh. "Well, I'll add you to my body count just for the sake of it!" Drawing his broadsword, leaving the other blade where it was, he charged at the snake. The reptile dodged his first cut, blocking the follow up sweep with ease. Pushing the wolf's sword aside, the snake made a cut at his midsection, aiming to disembowel him, but the wolf blocked it with his sword's hilt. Catching the katana in his sword's cross guard, the wolf knocked the snake's sword to point at the ground, and sent the base of his hilt into the snake's face. The snake reeled, but didn't drop his sword or even his guard, and jumped as the wolf made a cut at his legs. Both fighters backed off, and began circling each other.

"You are very good," the snake complimented between breaths.

"You blocked my first strike," the wolf said. "That puts you in the top 100 on this planet." The wolf charged in again, swinging his sword like a plastic toy. The snake barely managed to block the quick assault, but survive it he did. On his third strike, the snake threw the wolf's blade sideways and did a retaliation cut at the wolf's face, nicking his muzzle. The wolf roared as blood spilled from the wound.

"First blood is mine," the snake said.

"But last blood won't be!" The wolf charged in again with an unearthly roar. The snake rolled aside, but the wolf anticipated this and did a sweep kick as he passed, knocking the snake down. Now the snake was flat on his back, with the wolf towering over him. The wolf did a straight cut right down the snake's middle that the snake blocked desperately, putting his sword over his neck without thinking. Now he was pinned, with his own razor sharp blade mere centimeters from his own neck and a massive force pushing down on it. It was now that the snake realized that he had lost not only this fight, but his life as well. The wolf kept his sword there with one hand and moved up so that his eyes were equal with the snakes. His eyes were completely grey, life seeming to end within them. A few drops of blood spilled onto the pinned snake's face, a trifle of what was to come. "Any last requests?" The wolf was grinning insanely, like a boy with a helpless insect at his mercy, knowing full well that the bug was as good as dead.

"Tell me you name," the snake whispered. "So that I may praise the one who bested me to all the heavens."

"Mars," the wolf said. "Mars the wolf, fourth of the failures." With a mighty push, Mars sent the snake's own sword through his neck, and the duel ended.


	10. Brothers pt1

Mars hated recon missions. It was telling him that he had to go into enemy territory, surround himself with enemies, and not kill anyone. Not even maim. It was like sticking a steak in front of him, letting him smell the aroma, then describe how it looked and how best to eat it to someone else.

Mars was sitting outside a restaurant, buying some lunch with the meager currency Jupiter had let him have. The food was good, but Mars couldn't care less. Beauty, both in sight and taste, weren't the same to him as they were to others. To him, a glorious picture was the way his enemies fell as his sword took their lives and an irresistible sensation was the taste of hot blood squirting down his throat. A waitress came out to get his plates and Mars flashed her a grin, bearing his blood stained canines. He knew that his teeth were repulsive to others, and the waitress flinched visible at the sight. He looked round the street, taking in each one of the animals around him. A disheveled student waiting for a bus, some kids playing chicken with the traffic, groups of girls shopping, two old men reminiscing over past glories, couples wandering here and there. He could take all their lives in an instant if he wanted, and oh how he wanted. It was torturing him to just wait here, doing nothing, and Jupiter knew it! When the giant eagle had briefed him, he'd said as much.

"Why not send Uranus, or Pluto? They both like watching and waiting!"

"Because as commander, I say what happens!" Jupiter had told his smaller brother. Mars was ready to blow then. Besides from Mercury and Venus he was the eldest of the failures, and that should give him some sort of rights, even if Jupiter was stronger. Mercury. Mars growled at just thinking the traitor's name. Mercury had been the first of the failures, the closest to perfection. He'd been the father's favourite, marked for greatness at his side. And then, a bit under fifty years earlier, he and Venus betrayed them, stealing the master controller. Stolen from their own family completely without grounds. Though he'd never admit it, their betrayal had cut Mars deep. All their lives those three had been as one, working together, living together, siblings in the true meaning of the word. But now Mercury was gone, and Venus…

Mars ended his thinking then, leaving his payment on the plate and moved off to find his target. Jupiter had told him that he had to find and inform him about the ultimate lifeform, Shadow the hedgehog. He apparently needed some information so that he could figure out a way to defeat him. Mars saw it as a waste of time. No one had ever defeated one of the failures, so even if this Shadow was a master of every single fighting style in the universe, he'd stand no chance against all six of the remaining failures. No chance at all. But Neptune had said to be cautious, and for some reason Jupiter had listened to that cowering eel. But orders were orders, even if Mars didn't like them. Without further thought on the matter, the wolf moved off to find his prey.

"So which looks better?"

"Why the hell are you asking me?"

"Because you volunteered to come with me!"

"Well I didn't know it was going to be so boring!"

"Mercury!"

"What?!" Mercury and Cassandra were both in the shopping mall, more specifically the clothes section. Misinformed, Mercury had volunteered to go with his friend shopping for new clothes on a GUN budget the two of them had mysteriously received. Obviously someone wanted to be on their good side. The two had already visited four different shops, Cassie picking up just about everything and flashing the credit card to pay for it. Mercury had gotten a few new clothes as well, needing them since his other clothes had been obliterated by Shadow's chaos blast in their previous fight. He was now wearing black jeans, a grey shirt with the words _All Your Base are belong to Us!_ on it (He'd heard Ienzo use the phrase) and a red hoodie. He'd insisted on keeping his hood up, despite Cassie's complaints.

"You look like a complete dork!" she'd told him. The word didn't actually mean anything to him, but he gathered it wasn't good to be one.

"I don't really care. I prefer not to have people staring at the back of my head."

"Well you've got a lot more people staring at you now then you did before."

"Yes, but now the only ones who see my face I see as well." Cassie had stopped taking to him then, proceeding to drag him by his tail to the next store. And now here they were. Why was he here? He could simply abandon the golden hedgehog and go do something far more interesting. So why didn't he? What was holding him back?

Cassie came out again, wearing something far too bright that clashed with her quills. Mercury told her as much, and the girl ran back to get something else. Mercury laughed slightly at how flustered she was. He had to admit that Cassie's company was incredibly enjoyable, and listening to her was listening to the wind, calming even if you didn't understand what it was saying. She made him feel different, nice, happy even. It was strange, and incredibly addictive.

_"Why should I crave happiness?"_ Mercury asked himself. _"Wasn't I happy before?"_ Mercury didn't really expect for an answer, and none came. The voices in his head had stayed quiet, permanently if Mercury had his way. But maybe, if they did start talking, he'd get some more answers about his past.

The sound of gunfire broke into his mind. Mercury immediately began looking for the source. Without any thought as to personal danger, Mercury ran towards the sound.

"Wait!" The grey cat stopped, hearing his friend's voice. Cassie was calling to him from inside the shop, still wearing stuff she hadn't bought yet. "Let the police handle it, you don't need to!"

_"Why does she care?"_ Mercury thought._ "What have I done to earn feeling from her, really?"_

To her he said, "I can help these people. I want to help these people." He was tempted to add a please on the end, but decided against it. Better to quit without a pissed off hedgehog against him. Cassie sighed and waved her hand dismissively. Getting the gesture, Mercury continued running towards the obvious battle.

A few hundred meters away, Mars was having the time of his life. Apparently the four people he'd killed on his arrival had friends, and these friends didn't seem to like him. How they found out he'd done it Mars didn't know, nor did he care. Worrying was for the planners, like Jupiter and Neptune. Killing things was what he was good at and ooooh man there were a lot of things to kill here. An entire squad of what he guessed was mob enforcers had surrounded him while he'd been walking, thinking to take him by surprise. Idiots! He'd smelt their anger a mile off, and their weapons might as well have had a giant sign on them saying 'I'm going to attack you' for all the care they'd taken in concealing them. He didn't really care why they were here, they were attacking him and that meant they he could attack back. Perfect.

They'd formed a rough semicircle behind him, drawing their firearms and opening fire the moment the road was clear. Mars had sensed this and leapt the moment their fingers tightened on the triggers. Drawing his two hunting knives in mid jump, he sent two of the gang members to their graves before they even knew they'd missed with two well aimed throws. His broadsword was out before he hit the ground again, severing another gang member's arm before he could react. Finally the others realized that they were under threat, and began backing away in formation, firing on him at the same time. Mars could nearly laugh at their incompetence. Holding his sword flat so that the blade's wide edge hid his entire body from sight, he gave chase. The enforcers backed into an abandoned, run down barber's shop with blown out windows and a bad paint job, obviously hoping that their prey turned predator wouldn't follow. What did they he was, some half beat coward? Mars followed them into the building.

There was no one there. The entire front room was empty, except for the remains of the window and some scattered haircutting equipment. Mars snarled, furious with himself for losing his prey. Then he saw a note on one of the chairs with a smiling face on it and two words.

_'To Wolfy.'_

_"Great, another killer with a sense of humor,"_ Mars thought grumpily. It seemed everyone needed to make a joke when they threatened someone. It was the same with all intelligent beings on any planet. A simple 'I'm going to kill you' would suffice. Short and sharp. Mars turned the note over, revealing another two words.

_'Turn around.'_

Mars obeyed. It wasn't hard to notice what had happened. The gang members had lured him into the building by looking incompetent, and now they planned to gloat about it and blow up the building, with Mars inside. Predictable, even for one with as little forward thinking skills as Mars. As he'd predicted, there was another squadron of mob troops, along with a sandy dingo with a bandanna and a lot of explosives. Obviously the leader.

"You killed a good friend of mine," the wild dog said with an Australian accent, just like the rat from the night before.

"I've killed a lot of people," Mars said truthfully to the dingo. "But I'm guessing you're talking about those drunken weaklings from the alleyway. They weren't worth the trouble, trust me!" The only thing that Mars enjoyed other than fighting was mocking people's weakness. Watching as a few words made the anger flow over into their face, making them do something reckless, stupid, break down or something else amusing. The stuff he'd gotten out of people with Mercury was priceless.

Mercury…

The red wolf missed the livid look on the dingo's face, but he did manage to spot the two grenades coming out of his pockets. "You're gonna pay for that, you sniveling coward."

"Come in here and say that, bomb boy!" The dingo made a furious noise in his throat, pulling the pins on the grenades with his teeth and threw them at the barber shop.

Right in front of the window someone dropped out from nowhere, catching the grenades. With their back to him and their hood up Mars couldn't make out their face, only their red hoodie that seemed to be hanging off nothing, black jeans, metal soled shoes and grey cat's tail. The cat quickly got rid of the grenades by throwing them high in the air, high enough so that their explosion didn't even shake the sidewalk.

"You look like you could use some help friend," the mysterious interferer said to Mars. The voice sounded familiar to the wolf, not the tone or the way in which the words were said, but the voice itself. The way it said the words, the way the mouth must have moved reminded him of someone. But the seeming change in attitude of the person made it impossible for Mars to distinguish. It was almost as if he expected the voice to be dry and hollow, just like…

"I don't need your help, friend," Mars growled. The last words were coated in sarcasm. There was a sudden rattle of gunfire, and both Mars and his mysterious savior dived out of the way.

"From where I'm standing you do."

"How dare you interfere with our revenge!" the sandy furred dingo yelled at the stranger. "Why you little…" Without any words the figure literally flew forwards at the dog, kneeing him into the air a few times before sending him back into the road with a hammer blow. Mars grinned and charged out of the shop to continue fighting. Their apparent leader down, the other gang members stop being an organized fighting force and became a haphazard muddle of frightened people with guns. This was the type of mayhem Mars loved. He swung his sword through the frightened creatures, wounding them more then killing them. His strange companion seemed to fly between his opponents by levitating himself, using his entire body as a lethal weapon. And with the damage he did to the gang members, Mars wouldn't be surprised if he were labeled as lethal. He even spotted him breaking a fox's leg with his tail. His god damned tail! There must have been some strength in that thin guy. In spite of himself, Mars found himself liking this guy, without even seeing his face, almost like he already knew him. Almost like…

It was obvious who was winning. Seven more of the gang members were seriously injured or unconscious, and the remaining five weren't in any state of mind to do anything except run, which they did. The one who'd intervened got up from the last body he'd knocked out, dusting his hands off.

"Well, that's the last of them," he said.

"Why did you help me?" Mars asked. The cat stopped what he was doing, half turning to Mars.

"Why shouldn't I?" he said. "It was just MOVE!" Mars looked over his back, and saw the dingo leader holding a semi automatic, grinning cruelly.

"Say g'night boys." The dingo fired, point blank. Mars moved although it was too late to dodge. He hit the ground, expecting to feel the burning metal somewhere in his body. But there wasn't anything. Mars looked over, and saw the shots had been aimed at the cat behind him. There were four neat holes in his jacket, two more had pierced his skull, and one stray bullet must have nicked his hood, knocking it back. His face was the same colour as his tail, his mouth a combination of shock and mild amusement. But it was his eyes, cold, grey and lifeless, that caught Mars' attention. Eyes exactly like his own. Exactly like Mercury's!

"No," he whispered, completely out of character. The cat, completely unfazed by his wounds, swung his arm, pulling out all of the bullets in his body. "Not possible!" The bullets molded into one singe liquid metal orb that the cat sent at the dingo. The ball burst on contact, spreading neatly over the dog's body and hardening, trapping him without covering his face.

"Well, that's really the last of them. So…" The grey cat turned back to Mars, and only just threw his arms up in time to block the wolf's sword coming down through his head.

"Die, Traitor!"


	11. Brothers pt2

**This chapter has a bit of swearing, one bit of drug use and a lot of violence. Just thought I'd warn you. On with the story!**

"Die, Traitor!"

Mercury jumped away as the wolf pulled his sword up to strike again. The two gashes in his arms melded back together, allowing him to roll left from the enraged canine's next attack. This guy was insane! He'd just saved his life, with a great deal of pain involved, and now he was trying to kill him, calling him a traitor. The wolf ran at him again, roaring and swinging his weapon like a madman. Mercury ducked under the fist strike, caught the second on his metallic forearm, but was knocked back as the wolf swung his broadsword flat, smashing him with unbelievable force, even from the size of him muscular arms. Mercury was sent into a wall, hard enough so that his body was embedded in the brickwork. A few of his ribs cracked, and he was sure he felt his spine snap somewhere. What had he done to piss this guy off?! Who the hell was he?!

"You're going to pay," the wolf seethed as he stalked towards him, his sword dragging behind him. "You're going to pay for every bit of torment I went through after you ran away. You'll pay as much as she did. As much as she is, Mercury. How does that sound?!" He knew his name! He had to know him from his past. A past he didn't remember. Perfect.

"Who are you?" Mercury gasped. He wasn't tired; he was just trying to realign all his ribs that had punctured his lungs. "How do you know who I am?" The wolf stopped completely at that comment, his eyes overwhelming with a fiery hatred.

"Who am I?!" he repeated incredulously. "Who am I? It's only been fifty years and you've forgotten your own brother?! You fucking basted!" The wolf swung his sword over his head to bring it down through the offending cat. Mercury managed to bend his body out of the wall, and the wolf's blade crashed through the wall like gingerbread. Tired of playing nice, Mercury sent his fist into the wolf's side, sending him flying this time. The wolf sailed over the incapacitated gang members and back into the ruined barber's shop, crashing into one of the leftover seats. He picked himself up, dodging Mercury as he came flying in, his arms morphed into sickening pikes.

"I just saved your fricken life!" Mercury yelled at the wolf, swinging his arms. "Why are you trying to kill me? What have I done?" The wolf laughed half heartedly as he blocked every one of Mercury's cuts.

"Saved me? I was never in any danger!" A look or realization hit the wolf's face. "I get it! You're an imposter." He swung his sword with a new resilience. "How dare you tarnish my brother's name!" Now Mercury was truly confused. A minute ago this guy had hated him for being someone, and now he hated him for insulting this same person. What was going on in this guy's head? Another massive swing embedded the giant sword in one of Mercury's arms. Instead of backing away, Mercury pressed his advantage. He wrapped his liquid metal arm around the wolf's sword and then hardened it. Now the blade was trapped within Mercury's arm. With one movement, the cat pushed his opponent's sword aside and aimed to send the other spiked limb into the wolf's abdomen. It would have worked, except that the wolf grabbed the warped arm with his free hand. Black blood poured from the puncture in the wolf's hand, but they didn't even make him wince. With extreme strength, the wolf ripped the arm off completely, throwing it aside, and tore his sword out of Mercury's trap, dismembering the cat other arm at the same time. Mercury fell back, roaring in pain. The wolf laughed. "Oh come now, 'Mercury'," he said, using the name sardonically. "I've done worse to you then that to you before! You've grown weak in the last half century it would seem." Mercury snarled at the wolf harshly, making the wolf grin wolfishly. It was that grin that finally triggered something in his brain. Without warning, Mercury slipped into another memory recall.

_The same wolf was standing next to Mercury, grinning as he was now. Mercury was once again dressed in the uniform that he had first arrived on Earth in, a skintight suit that mirrored the wolf's perfectly. The only difference between what they looked like then as to now was that the twin bladed sword that the wolf had strapped to his back in the future was now sitting comfortably between Mercury's shoulder blades, reaching perfectly from the ground to around half a meter over his right shoulder. They were standing on top of a skyscraper in the ruins of a city, fires burning all around them. Mercury could hear people screaming far below him, but his body made no move to aid them. In fact, a smile was spreading over his face._

_"It's a beautiful sound, isn't it?" he said to the wolf beside. "The scream of innocents as their peaceful world falls apart around them. It's like a long lost symphony." Mercury's mouth gave a small chuckle._

_"You know I don't understand philosophy Mercury," the wolf joked. "I don't even know what a symphony is, let alone ever heard one." _

"_Well Mars, I can tell you that this is better than any symphony I've ever heard." He laughed, and Mars joined him. There was an explosion, followed by a new batch of screams. "Ah, the crescendo leading up to the climax. Father must be getting ready for the final curtain call." Mars nodded, gazing intently into the destroyed city. As if on cue, a giant green laser blasted into the surface of the planet. A wave of pure energy shot out from the point of impact. The wave raced towards the two figures, but neither Mercury nor Mars moved to escape it. Instead, they allowed it to wash over them, their bodies surviving the energy that would have incinerated a normal mortal being. Mercury felt the burning power wash over him, but his body didn't cringe, it reveled in the feeling of pain releasing adrenaline through his thin frame. Once the energy wave passed, Mars and Mercury sighed, as if they'd just left a spa rather than survived a bomb blast. _

"_We hold such power, brother," Mars said to Mercury. "Can you imagine what it would be like to be one of them?" He pointed down at the crowds of panicked people in the streets of the city. "Imagine feeling so useless!"_

"_Funnily, with all my almighty power," Mercury said with a touch of ego. "I cannot. But it would be such a useless feeling, why bother even attempting it." Mars nodded slightly._

"_If that's your opinion."_

"_You just want to know about them so that you can hurt them more!"_

"_Please, I am not Pluto Mercury! I have some sort of feelings."_

"_Maybe, but only towards your family. You couldn't care less what happened to anyone else."_

"_Should I?"_

"_Of course not! What would be the point?!" Mercury laughed again, Mars by his side._

"_This cannot be me!" the Mercury from the future thought. "How could I be this heartless? There must be some sort of mistake! This can't be my memories. Can it?"_

"_Mars! Mercury!" The wolf and cat turned around, to see a green fox, flanked by two giant hulking masses of purple muscle. Infantry spawn, those who made up the core of the Black Arms invasion forces._

"_Black Arms?" Mercury thought. "Shadow's father's soldiers? Why was I with them?" He tried to look closer at the animal between the two Black Arms. The fox was shorter than even Mercury, wearing a female version of the same uniform he wore, except with the addition of a small jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a no nonsense ponytail held in place by a metal ring. Her body looked the same age as Mercury's, around 15 or 16, but it was perfectly matured. Her face looked like a picture painted by angel's. To put it bluntly, she was unimaginably beautiful. Hanging down from her right hand was a cord of what resembled leather with a small knife with a hook attached to the end. A Kaginawa, Mercury remembered. It was a weapon more used to wound rather than kill, wielded with grace and elegance. It seemed to fit this striking girl perfectly._

"_What is it Venus?" Mercury called to the beautiful female._

"_And what's with the guards?" Mars asked, grinning wolfishly. "Doesn't father think you can handle yourself?" Venus responded to the pun by throwing the Kaginawa at him. Mars caught the weapon with ease. "Now that's just plain rude, greeting your brother with violence."_

"_You don't seem to have a problem with it," Mercury put in. Mars growled at him, while Venus laughed._

"_Why do you always side with her?" he complained._

"_Because she's the more dangerous of you two, so I'd prefer not to piss her off. That and…other reasons." The last part was said with a perverted grin, directed more at his brother rather than his sister. Mars' growl became menacing at the insult to his strength, something he was definitely proud of. Mercury ignored him and turned back to Venus. "As it said before sister, what is the problem?" Venus smiled warmly at Mercury, fluttering her eyelashes._

"_Well, aren't we straightforward today, Mercury?" she said with a sly grin. Mercury felt himself return the grin, though he didn't know why. He heard Mars groan off to the side._

"_I wish you wouldn't do this while I'm around," he said with a tone of disgust. "It's disturbing and gross."_

"_We only do it because you're around," Mercury said. His hand reached up and stroked Venus' face. She gave a sound like a purr and nuzzled his hand. "Because we know you hate it." The brother and sister turned to smile infuriatingly at the larger wolf. The expressions worked._

"_Why you two! For the past forty years I've been thinking…" He let the sentence hanging, finding it too distasteful to finish._

"_So we can still fool a fool." Venus and Mercury laughed, only feeding the flame of Mars' anger._

"_I swear, one of these days I'm going to get you back for all the hell you put me through!"_

"_Whatever you say brother," Venus said, but she obviously didn't believe it. "But right now, father needs us down in the streets."_

"_Doing what?" Mars asked._

"_What do you think, you brain-dead imbecile?! What we always do!" Mars' previous display of anger was replaced by joy as his mind came to its conclusion. He pointed down to the city, where a few lucky survivors of the doomsday attack were beginning to walk around again._

"_He wants us to spread panic?" The question was rhetorical; as there obviously was little else this 'father' wanted them to do. Venus nodded. "All right!" Before anyone could do anything, Mars had flipped backwards, off the roof, and down into the streets. Mercury sighed, like an overworked parent._

"_Will we ever be able to keep up with him?" he asked Venus. The fox shrugged, not seeming to care._

"_I will never understand why you and Mars spend so much time asking pointless questions. All it does is waste precious time." Mercury flashed her a grin much like the one Mars was fond of._

"_Sister, when you have lived as long as I have, you will realize the importance of spending time dwelling on what cannot be answered." Venus snorted unceremoniously._

"_Mercury, you are less than six weeks older than I am."_

"_Ah, but those six weeks count for so much."_

"_Not over 2,000 years they don't!" Mercury made a gesture to concede defeat._

"_Whatever you say," he mimicked. Venus didn't make a show of anger, as she had with Mars, but simply smiled in an unnerving matter._

"_That's going to cost you later," she said mysteriously, and then leapt from the roof, falling towards the ground with lethal speed. Mercury couldn't see what had happened to her, but he guessed that she was fine. Sane people don't jump off roofs unless they can survive. Or maybe sane wasn't the right adjective._

"_She'll have to fix it first," he heard himself mutter. Then, like the others, he leapt from the roof towards the cesspool of chaos below._

Mars stood over the grey cat he suspected was his brother, sword ready, waiting for him to wake up. 'Mercury' had fallen unconscious, for absolutely no reason. Well, no reason besides having both the appendages attached to his upper body torn off. But if this was Mercury, the man he'd known for a good nineteen hundred years, then such a thing wouldn't faze him in the slightest. And yet…

The cat began to stir. Mars hefted his broadsword above the creature's neck, ready and waiting to kill him the moment he opened his eyes. The cat, still dazed, didn't notice the blade until it was pushing painfully into his jugular.

"So, you're finally awake, brother." Still Mars waited, waited for him to look into his eyes, and see his conviction before he removed his head. But the cat continued to stare at the ground, not making eye contact.

"Mars…" he started.

"Oh, so you remember my name now! Well, let's see what else the almighty Mercury remembers about me!" Mars pushed his sword even harder into Mercury's neck, forcing him back into the ground.

"Mars, listen to me! I don't want to hurt you!" Mars let out a cold laugh.

"Firstly, Mercury, it's far too late for that! And secondly, if anyone's going to get hurt, it's going to be you!" He punctuated the last words by shoving his sword into the cat's throat. But his opponent had already liquidated, flowing the metallic atoms of his body around Mars, hardening behind him. Mercury delivered one blow to the wolf's spine, sending him forward hard. Mercury followed, delivering punch after punch to keep the wolf moving through the air. Mars was pushed through three walls before he finally managed to throw Mercury off him. He landed against the next wall heavily, a web of cracks spreading through the masonry where he had impacted. Amazingly, he hadn't lost a grip on his sword through that ordeal, and held it up in front of him, ready for the thin cat's next strike. He noticed that he was standing inside a factory. Specifically, a factory that made car doors.

Metal car doors.

"Fuck!" Mars cursed. Mercury appeared from under some of the last walls rubble, a multitude of car parts beginning to orbit around him. "I hate you!"

"I gathered." Mercury made a flick with his wrist, and the parts began flying at the wolf at near terminal velocity. Mars batted them aside with his sword like baseballs. More, larger parts started to fly from their place in the factory, complete cars thrown from their pedestals and assembly machinery flying at the alien wolf. Even now, Mars continued to simply hit them aside. He was like a mountain and Mercury was a storm trying to bring him down. Neither was going to win the way they were. "I have to ask you something," Mercury said as he continued to pound Mars. "I remember us as brothers. Why do you hate me so much now?"  
"Why?!" Mars spluttered between blocks. "Why! You've forgotten what you did to us. What you did to me!" Howling furiously, Mars broke through the flying objects and swung his sword murderously at Mercury's face. Mercury held up his hand, attempting to use his powers to stop the blade. The sword continued unhindered, slamming painfully into Mercury's outstretched palm. The blade bit deep into his hand. Mars grinned at the smaller animal's futile attempt, putting all his weight down on the weapon, forcing Mercury to his knees. "This sword is created from the one metal you can't control. Forged by the greatest master of blades in the galaxy especially for me."

"Oh really," Mercury grunted as Mars pushed down even harder into his palms. "And who might that be?"

"You." Mars raised his sword, taking Mercury with it, and slammed it back down. But Mercury wasn't on it any more. Mars looked up to see Mercury hovering above him.

"You seem to know everything. But tell me: what did I do to gain your complete hatred, brother?" Mars jumped at him, snarling. Mercury floated out of the way, and repeated his question, more demanding this time. "What did I do?!" Mars made another aerial attack at him, and Mercury lost patience. He grabbed Mars out of the air, knocking his sword aside, and slammed him hard against one of the walls. "Tell me!" Mars saw the mix of anger, determination and a vicious curiosity in Mercury's eyes, and chuckled weakly. Mercury slammed the large wolf into the wall again like a rag doll. "What did I do?!" he seethed.

"There you are, my brother," Mars whispered. "I knew you couldn't keep up the good guy act for long."

"If I recall, I'm the cryptic one here. Now tell me what I've done."

"Oh, so much brother. So much. But I'll play with you, for now. You and Venus stole from our father, from your own family, and ran. You realize you were always father's favourite. You outshone the rest of us at every turn. After your betrayal, father never trusted any of us again. Thought we were imperfect creations. Truly failures!" A shadow moved over Mars' eyes as he continued. "We were cast aside. Worthless! Useless! And then, because he didn't trust us, and refused to let us help him, father died. But now, we will avenge his death on the people who took his life, and you!" Mars tried to break Mercury's grip, but Mercury had more to ask.

"If that's so, then I have one last question. What happened to Venus? Where is she now?" Mars looked down at his fists, which had clenched at the sound of the fox's name.

"Since Jupiter couldn't punish you for our disinheriting, he punished her." Mars' strong figure shivered from nearly uncontrollable rage.

"What did he do?"

"You bastard."

_Crunch!_ Mercury slammed Mars hard enough to crack the cement enforced bricks of the wall.

"What did he do to her?!"

"He let Pluto practice on her!" Even without his memories, Mercury felt his entire body go cold. What could be so bad, so unthinkable, that even without knowing what it was, it ran a chill of absolute fear through him. "And do you know what she does, while that little sick freak is worming away within her brain? She screams. For you. For forty five years I've heard her scream in agony for the one who put her in that pain. And that is why I'm going to cause you every singe bit of pain that she feels." Mars tightened all his muscles. "And then, maybe I can stop her screaming." Breaking Mercury's grip on his arms by tearing the cat's fingers out in his arms, he slammed his fists against the wall Mercury was pushing him against. The wall collapsed, sending both of them tumbling through back into the street.

Mars and Mercury pushed themselves up, facing each other in near mirror fighting stances. "It seems now we're on fair terms," Mercury muttered.

"Not likely." Mars held up his hand, hitting a device on his arm. From inside the building flew his broadsword, coming to rest in his open hand.

"Let me guess. I designed that as well, didn't I?" Mars nodded, smiling maliciously.

"It seems we're going to just start over again."

"Maybe not," Mercury seemed to be glancing over Mars' back, at something on his back. "I know that giant sword's magnet-proof, but tell me. What about that one on your back?" Mars looked over at the double bladed long sword strapped to his back, then back to Mercury.

"Screw you!"

"I'd rather not." Mercury made a pulling movement with his hands. Mars back flipped, just in time so that the sword came cleanly off his back instead of ripping through his torso to get to the force pulling it. Mercury caught the sword, immediately feeling the weapon becoming an extension of his being, becoming one with him. Mars and Mercury charged each other, their blades meeting with a shower of sparks. Mercury went for a head strike that Mars ducked under and Mars attempted to deliver a punch to Mercury's thin abdomen, which melted beneath his fingers. Then Mars went for a sweep, which Mercury jumped over. Mercury spun his blade like a hacksaw, trying to take Mars' head from his shoulders but Mars was too quick and put his sword between his head and his brother's blade of deadly metal. Again and again they struck, Mars like an unmoving rock, holding against all, Mercury like the wind, everywhere at once. Mercury's blade was well made, able to take even Mars' strongest hits without the slightest sign of strain. On top of that, Mercury felt like the weapon belonged in his hands, as if it had been there for years, and had only parted for a short time, yearning to return. And now that it was, it yearned for action. For violence. For blood.

Mars realized that, now that Mercury had his sword back, he was going to lose unless he did something drastic. He leapt away from the grey cat momentarily, feinted to the left and then went for an overhead. Mercury read this easily and blocked with the central hilt of his sword. But Mars had planned for this, and pushed down hard with one hand, trapping Mercury under his weight. With the other, he hit another button on the gadget on his arm. After a few seconds, Mercury struggling to overcome his stronger sibling all the time, a hunting knife flew over from the other side of the building. One of the same hunting knives he'd used before Mercury had even arrived.

"You never should have given me this," Mars said with a triumphant grin. Mercury grinned right back.

"For someone who's apparently known me for centuries, you're awfully forgetful." In a second, Mercury's body and sword had disappeared from beneath the large wolf, replaced by a metallic stain that slid away from the stumbling figure. "I can't be pinned down!" Mercury rematerialized behind Mars, his sword now melded to his arm. With one stab, he forced the sharp implement between Mars' ribs. The wolf coughed dramatically as the blade punctured his left lung. Mercury drew his sword in close, Mars still on the end, and whispered into his brother's ear from behind. "I am truly sorry for this, brother." With a mighty shove, Mercury pushed Mars off his arm and onto the sidewalk. Mars' limp body let him fall like a large dead carcass. Mercury removed his sword from his arm and turned to leave, when a sound reached his ears. It was Mars, laughing and spluttering in the same breath. The extraterrestrial feline spun round, seeing his brother pulling himself off the pavement, his sword still grasped tightly in his hand, his other hand pressing hard against his wound. Black blood oozed between his fingers. He let out another laugh/cough at the look of utter surprise on Mercury's face.

"Did you really believe that a physical wound could kill me Mercury? Have you truly forgotten so much?" Mars reached down into one of the pouches in his belt. From within he drew a hypodermic needle, filled to the brim with some strange glowing substance. Before Mercury could act, Mars slammed the needle into his leg, and injected the substance. He grunted as the needle emptied into his body, but continued to push. And as he did, the blood coming through his chest stopped flowing. In a matter of seconds, he drew his hand away to reveal perfectly healed skin beneath, the only proof of any injury being a small lack of shaggy fur around the point where the blade hand exited his front. "I can't die! Just like you can't die. So this is just going to keep going."

"Maybe," Mercury said. He spun his double long sword between his fingers. "But I reckon you'll be begging for mercy before long."

"Strong words. Ready to back them up?!" They began to run at each other again, but a sound broke the silence.

"Mercury!" Mercury turned to face the voice. He noticed the crowd that had gathered around the two of them, ready to watch more action. But one person stood out.

"Cassie!" The gold quilled hedgehog was wearing her torn jeans, pre-torn instead of actually worn out, a red top and a worried expression.

"What's going on? Who's he?" She pointed to Mars. The wolf had a bewildered look on his face, a look that soon got overwhelmed by rage once more.

"You gutter licking slut fucker Mercury!" Mars started swinging his sword round his head, and then threw it. But the sword wasn't aimed at Mercury. It was aimed at Cassie.

"Move!" But Cassie was frozen with fear. She couldn't do anything. "Aaargh!" Mercury managed to tackle his friend out of the way, but the sword still managed to clip the end of his tail. Cassie out of the way, Mercury tried to prepare his own defense, but Mars was already upon him, abandoning his sword and instead straddling his brother and pounding his face with his fists.

"Is this what you replace us with?" Mars said between ground shaking punches. "This trash?!"

"Hey, I'm still here!"

"Shut up, bitch! I'll get to you soon enough!" Mars drew back for an even stronger punch. "This'll teach you, you good for nothing, metal loving..." A thread of metallic liquid flew out from Mercury's now tattered shirt and curled around Mars' fist, holding it steady. Mercury followed it up, knocking Mars back with the force of his rising. The grey cat's arm shot out beyond its natural length, grasping around Mars' neck and pulling him so that his eyes were level with Mercury's. To do this, Mercury had to actually levitate himself a bit so that Mars wasn't touching the ground.

"Listen to what I'm about to say and believe me," Mercury hissed, glaring into Mars' eyes. The wolf stared right back, his eyes a mirror of Mercury's, not a bit unnerved. "Two weeks ago I woke up in a lab with no possessions, no memories and one purpose that proved to be misguided. If I have wronged you brother, then I am sorry, but whatever I did, I did for a reason. And as soon as I know that reason, you will be the first to know. Now stop threatening my friends and insulting me!" Mars growled disbelievingly and spat at Mercury's foot, which was still a good meter off the ground, making the action a pointless macho gesture.

"Now you listen to me," the wolf snarled. "I am going to hunt you down, hunt you and kill you as painfully as possible. Nothing you can say is going to make me believe this bullshit you're trying to sell me. You got that?!" He grabbed the scruff of fur under Mercury's collar, throwing him at a crowd of spectators. The spectators dived out of the way and Mercury smashed into the wall, creating a cloud of cement and brick dust. Mars dived into the cloud, and the two fighters were obscured for a few seconds. When it cleared, Mercury and Mars could be seen facing each other, their respective blades pointed dangerously close to their opponents.

At that moment, two things happened. The first was that Shadow and Rouge came running through the crowd and came into view of the battling pair, and the destruction they'd wrought. The second was that a large red and black object appeared over the area where they were fighting. It looked like an organic jet-rocket cross. Its thrusters and wings expanded and contracted, like the entire contraption was breathing or had a giant pulse. The bubble on the nosecone retracted to open the cockpit. Mars made an unmistakable smirk at Mercury as he looked up at the abomination of alien technology.

"There's my ride." Mars moved his sword with lightning speed to bat Mercury's sword out of the way. Now safe, he jumped up the good thirty meters up to his ship. Mercury was about to follow, when he felt a shot of compressed air slam him deep into the tarmac. Some sort of defensive system the craft had, stopping any unwanted boarders. The pressure remained as the bulky wolf entered the cockpit, right up until it redirected itself for takeoff. Just before it entered whatever sort of accelerative process it used, Mercury heard Mars call down to him.

"The next day I see you, Mercury, make sure you're looking over your back. Because I'm going to be waiting there, ready to give you exactly what you deserve!"

"I'll be waiting," Mercury said weakly, feeling the damage in every bone in his chest. He doubted Mars had heard him, but he hadn't said it for the wolf's benefit anyway. The ship's back thrusters lit up, and it disappeared in a rush of wind and a burst of sound.

Shadow and Rouge, followed by Cassie, ran over to Mercury the moment the ship was clear. "Who was that?" Shadow ordered. Mercury ignored Shadow's demanding tone and answered as calmly as he could while tending to his wounds.

"My brother, Mars." Rouge made a none too subtle glance at Shadow.

"And I thought he had family issues!"

**What happens next? What will Mars do? And what's happening with Mercury's past? Why am I asking questions I know the answer to? Hope everyone liked this, it took me forever! Read and Review!**

**Antares700.**


	12. Family above all

**It's finally here. I realize that this update has been a long time coming, I apologize. I'm nearly off holiday so my updates should be returning to some sort of order very soon. Special thanks to IGM for giving me the kick in the ass to update.**

"What happened out there?! I want answers, now!" Captain Tange was fuming from the moment they walked into the GUN briefing room. Mercury was tempted to point out the no smoking sign on the door, but he thought the lizard might blow up something important. Like him!

The GUN briefing room was a large circular room taking up an entire floor at the top of one of the many skyscrapers that GUN had commandeered in Westopolis' city centre. The room was focused around a large round mahogany table, enough leather chairs around it to seat a good sized platoon. Around the table were seated Mercury, Cassie, Shadow, Rouge, Ienzo, Tails and Sonic. Captain Tange hadn't touched his seat since the moment he entered the room. All of the walls had been replaced with windows, giving the room a panoramic view of the entire city. In most cities this would have been a first-class decorative touch, giving the inhabitants a feeling of power by looking over the city from above, but the trash that counted as many of the city suburbs just acted as bad wallpaper. Mercury would have thought that an economy that claimed to be so organized wouldn't be giving a government company the money for expensive furniture while so many people starved. It wasn't right! But, man those seats were comfortable!

"Mercury!" The grey cat jerked out of his comfort induced trance to see Tange right up in his face. The lizard was so agitated that his frill had leapt up, scaring the wits out of the alien feline.

"Aah."

"Answers, Mercury! Who was that freak that was helping you tear down part of the industrial district?"

"I told you, he's my brother!" Mercury's annoyance made its way through his shock. Meeting Mars had shaken him, and some of the things the wolf had said had raised questions about himself he hadn't even thought about. Like whether who he was now was the same as whom he was before. What if part of him had been changed? What if he wasn't really who he thought he was?

Tange snorted doubtfully. "Really? Is that all you can tell me about him?"  
"No. I can tell you that he is incredibly dangerous. He is a monstrous murderer with decades, no centuries, of experience at what he does." Mercury spoke with complete confidence. "There are only three things he will care about: third is his wellbeing, second is his mission…" Mercury trailed off, his grey eyes glazing over as his mind went elsewhere. Captain Tange sighed deeply, and began snapping his fingers in front of Mercury's face.

"Mercury! What is the first?"

"Family," Mercury murmured.

"What?!"

"The first is the family," Mercury said mysteriously. "The family above all else. That was our motto."

"Whose motto?" Sonic asked. "The Godfather's?" Mercury looked at him blankly, a look Sonic had been given so many times when people didn't understand his jokes.

"Besides from Sonic's stupid joke," Shadow said, glaring at his blue counterpart. "Whose motto is that Mercury?"

"Ours." Mercury's eyes still looked distant.

"Great!" Shadow groaned. "He's off with the fairies again!"

Rouge smiled at the jet black hedgehog. "I can snap him out of it." She swaggered over to the unresponsive cat and leant over so that she was staring straight into his eyes. She smiled a sickeningly sweet smile, showing her two sharpened teeth. "Mercury," she chimed. Mercury didn't even bat an eyelid. Rouge frowned for a second, and then made her smile even wider. She leaned even closer to the grey cat, her forehead nearly touching his. "Mercury." Her voice was smothered with charm. Still Mercury didn't move. Rouge snarled menacingly and said, "Damn it Mercury!" and slapped him hard. An imprint of Rouge's palm was left in Mercury's cheek for a few seconds, and then his face returned to normal. Mercury remained as he'd been before Rouge had tried to seduce, and then assault him. "Urgh!" Rouge tried to stamp on Mercury's tail, flopping contentedly behind him, but the appendage melted away under her boot. Beaten, Rouge stalked back to her seat in a huff, much to Ienzo's entertainment.

"You know, not every guy's a pervert Rouge." The bat hissed at him.

"I'll bet you can't do any better!"

"Watch and learn, my dear." Ienzo walked over to Mercury, pulling what resembled a screwdriver out of his pocket. It was a long piece of metal with a flat head and a handle. There was a on the handle and a three way switch. Ienzo flicked the switch all the way up, held it next to Mercury's ear, and, with overdramatic slow motion, pushed the button. The metal shaft began spinning very quickly, making the same buzzing noise an electric hand drill did.

The moment the sound of the screwdriver reached his ears Mercury snapped up, all the way to the roof. "Get that thing away from me!" he yelled from the ceiling tiles, managing to defy gravity by his powers alone. "You're not putting that thing anywhere near my skull!" Ienzo, Cassie, Sonic and Tails all burst out laughing, while Tange tried to hide his impatience and Rouge glared murderously at the slate raven holding the miniature power tool. Shadow, as usual, was emotionless.

"Get down here!" Tange said with barely contained frustration. "You blanked out halfway though your explanation, and Ienzo decided to wake you up. Now hurry up and finish." Cautiously, Mercury floated back down, settling into his seat. Ienzo went back to seat, hi-fiving Tails on his way past. Mercury shot a glare at his back, and then turned to the captain.

"What were we talking about again?" Tange made a growling sound in his throat, clenching an unclenching his fists edgily.

"You said something about family, involving Mars. Now please Mercury, don't make us sit here through you having another episode. What is this family?"

"You remember I was telling you about the other failures?" Mercury addressed to no one in particular. Shadow, Ienzo, Tails and Cassie nodded, Rouge yawned uninterestedly, Sonic shrugged and Tange growled at him to continue. "They are my family, or what I call a family. We are made from the same creator, the one we call father."

"And who is this father?" Captain Tange asked. Mercury looked at his feet and shuffled around a bit.

"…I don't remember."

Tange took a deep breath in through his nostrils and let it out, shuddering furiously. "Why aren't I surpri…"

"But I think I know someone who does." Tange stopped mid rant, gaping at Mercury, who remained straight faced and completely serious. "When I say Eggman with Metal Sonic, he acted like he recognized me. I think if we talk to him he'll be able to give us more information about my past."

"That's a good plan and all," Tange said. "But there just one hitch. We don't know where Eggman is. And even if we did, he's not the type of guy you just drop in on and get answers out of."

"Actually," Shadow said from his slouching position, "he is. I've dropped in to get information off him multiple times." Rouge nodded in agreement. Tange made some sound between a sigh and a groan.

"Fine! You go find Eggman, and when you do tell him he's still in violation of his parole from '91." The GUN officer dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Sonic led Shadow and Mercury out to the elevator, bubbling over with excitement about getting to hunt down and interrogate Eggman. Everyone else followed in varying states of enthusiasm. Tails and Ienzo were the last to leave, as their chairs were on the far side. As they were about to go through the door, Tange blocked their path. "You two. Stay." He motioned for them to retake their seats. The younger boys sighed inwardly and did as they were ordered. Tange sat opposite, his face a mask of overly intense calm. "Status report."

"We haven't been able discover much about the item, sir," Ienzo said in a stately fashion. "The technology inside the device surpasses even that of Eggman's grandfather. The advanced nano technology required to achieve what we hypothesize as to the use of this item is incredible, not to mention the radio and battery power."

"Skipping the techie nonsense," Tange said impatiently. "It's powerful and unusual, big deal. What does it do? If you don't know, take a bloody guess. I've had enough indecision for one day." Ienzo glared at his superior angrily.

"Sir, if you please, some professional courtesy would be appreciated." The captain made no move to add more, just looked at the slate raven icily with his sharp cyan eyes. Ienzo shrugged. "Suit yourself. Come on Tails." Ienzo moved towards the door, a confused and slightly embarrassed Tails following him. Right before they reached the exit, Tange turned to face them.

"Wait!" The scientists stopped. "What are you opinions as to the identity of this item…please?" Tange had to force the last word up his throat, because he knew Ienzo was going to shove it straight back down there. Outside of his line of vision, the brainiac bird's beak moved to form a smile.

"Thank you, Xavier." A vein popped up on the lizard's temple. His rank meant that no one used his first name, not ever. Not even Tange's mother used that name anymore. He could have wondered how Ienzo had found out what his name was, but he really didn't care anymore. It was just another blow to his pride to add to the long list for today. Although he was directing waves of hatred at Ienzo in his mind, he managed to keep his features neutral. "Tails, if you please."

"We still believe that it is a form of black arms control device, but much more sensitive and selective than we first thought. It appears to only control nine beings including Shadow: a fox, a wolf, an eagle, a bat, an eel, am owl, a jackal and a cat. We can tell this because…" Tails said as he predicted the question about to come out of Xavier's lips, "each time we change the mode, a new silhouette comes up one the screen, and it isn't that hard to guess what species they are from the picture."

"But who are these people?"

Ienzo snorted amusedly. "Think captain. Use your brain." Tange trembled in fury for a second before regaining his composure.

"If it's so simple, why don't you tell me?" he seethed. "You seem to enjoy showing me up." Ienzo grinned again at the chance to prove his superiority.

"Nine figures. Eight if you don't count Shadow. How many people are in the family that Mercury keeps remembering?" The cogs of the GUN captain mind began to turn as the information clicked into place.

"Seven, if I remember right."

"Eight," Tails corrected instinctively. "You forgot to count Mercury himself." Tange twitched irately, and Tails cringed. "Sorry sir." Tange grunted and turned to Ienzo.

"So you're saying that this device…"

"Can control Mercury, and his family, as well as Shadow," Ienzo finished.

"If Mercury is listed in a Black Arms controller, one also containing Shadow, then there must be some connection between him and the Black Arms, or Black Doom." The GUN captain visibly shivered. Black Doom was a black and red monster resembling the floating top half of a severed body with devilish horns, three eyes and a terrifying circular maw lined with teeth and clothed in the attire of a dark priest. The alien warlord and former ruler of the Black Arms intergalactic empire had arrived on Earth the previous year with his entire armada, with every intention of conquering it. Rumor had it that he had spent thousands of years planning the invasion, down to the last detail. No one really knows why. He claimed to be a savior for the Earth from themselves, but no one believed him. In the twelve hours after his army's arrival, the old city of Westopolis, had been returned to dust by the Black Comet, the Black Arms home world. Within two weeks he had nearly infected the entire continent, leveling everything in their path. Nothing the GUN could do could stop the alien rampage. Not even Sonic could stand against him and win. It was a dark and terrible time. Only the betrayal of his son, Shadow, aboard the Black Comet caused the death of Black Doom and the end of the nightmare. It had taken all of the past year to finish repairing the damage the aliens had caused, but in the end everything was remade as if the even had never happened. At least, physically. The captain took a cup of water off the table and drained it to keep his nerves down.

"Even more. I'm convinced that everyone in that hard drive has to be a highly ranked member of the Black Arms. We suspect that this may have been made so that Black Doom could be ensured of obedience in case of a betrayal." Tange gasped, the water in his mouth making him choke.

"Do you realize what that means?" he asked after he'd recovered. The two boys shook their heads. "If Doom had have had that remote, Shadow wouldn't have been able to kill him. We'd all be slaves to the Black Arms, or dead. Whatever reason he had, Mercury taking that remote saved all our lives." Tails' eyes widened in shock, and Ienzo looked surprised.

"That's quite a chain of events, considering that I think Mercury would have had to have been in that pod for at least thirty years to cause such severe amnesia, possibly more depending on how good a shape the pod was in to start with."

"Whatever the reason, or his past actions, Mercury is a security risk," Tange stated like the officer he was. "I want you to tell Rouge to be watching him at all times."

"Shadow as well?" Tails asked. Tange shook his head.

"Shadow cannot be allowed to find out about this."

"Why?" Ienzo asked with a hint of surprise. "Don't you trust him?"

"Of course not!" Tange exclaimed. "He's one of them! An alien! I'd bet my next promotion that if he found out there was a chance of another invasion he'd kill us all." Tails was looking at him in absolute shock at the point of view Tange had taken. Ienzo seemed unfazed.

"How can you say that?! Shadow's saved this planet on more than one occasion."

"You haven't read his file Tails," Tange cut in. "The only times he's ever saved anything is either when he made a promise or to ensure his own survival. At least a fifth of the GUN soldiers killed during those two weeks fell to his hand. He's a monster with a half-dead conscience, nothing more. I bet Mercury's the same."

Tails was about to begin arguing again, but Ienzo put his hand on his shoulder and began pulling him out. "Let him think what he wants," he muttered, his voice a rasping whisper. "He's got his own agenda."

"Ienzo!" The raven turned round, glaring heatedly at the frilled reptile. Tange looked like he couldn't care less what a thirteen year old genius thought of him. "No one else is to find out about this, got it?"

"Whatever you say, Xavier." Spitting the last word like a curse, Ienzo stalked out, Tails falling in behind him timidly.

Mercury was sitting aboard a GUN drop ship, being taken towards the Isle de Chaterra, the location of Eggman's newest base. The island in the Caribbean had once been famous because it was completely desolate. Not a thing grew over the entire hundred acres of land it covered. It had been a favourite by pirates for marooning traitors because there was no chance of survival. Now, because there was absolutely no life to disturb, the world used it as a toxic waste dump. Neither a pleasant nor desirable place to be, which made it the perfect hiding place for an evil genius like the doctor.

The ship had a block shaped body with two wings that ended in giant propeller motors that provided the ships lift. The cockpit was, obviously, at the tip of the central block, sharpening it into a point. The rest of the block was taken up by a hanger reaching all the way to the back thrusters. It was completely bare and lifeless, the only originality being a few scrapes on the wall, a big red button and a thin line running down the centre of the floor. The pilot, a quiet old falcon with scrappy feathers, had told him it was where the floor split when they released their cargo. Mercury had tried to get more out of him, but the guy had started looking over the ship for takeoff and refused to be disturbed.

Mercury was sitting against one of the hanger walls, staring at the sword he'd stolen from Mars. This was the first time he'd had any real time to examine it properly. It was long, as long as a Bo staff, with a two blades about three quarters of a meter long at each end and a grip a bit shorter than the blades in the middle. Each blade was slightly curved backwards, like two katana joined hilt to hilt. The edges looked as sharp as if they were just forged, even though the beating they'd taken at the end of Mercury's duel with Mars had been massive. Along the flat sides of each blade was a wavering groove. Although the rest of the sword was a sort of dull steel, these long indents seemed to shimmer with a multitude of colours. The pattern seemed to come alive then, becoming both eerie and beautiful at the same time.

The grey cat was puzzled and mystified by the sword. Mars had told him when he took it that it was his, and Mercury could almost believe him. When he had the sword in his palms, he mind and body acted with the weapon in perfect synchronization. Each swing, each cut, each twirl he did with the greatest ease even though he never remembered touching the weapon in his life, beyond having it on his back in the flashback he'd had with Mars. Once he was over the initial surprise though, he began to wonder why he needed a sword at all. He could form blades by reforming his arms with razor sharp edges. What was the point in it?

"_The point?"_ the husky, whispering voice in his head asked. Mercury hissed out loud, then remembered he only needed to think about hissing to tell the voice what he was thinking.

"_I thought I was rid of you two," _Mercury thought, trying to add venom to his mental communication.

"_I know,"_ the voice told him,_ "and the intruder is not here. But that is not the point. You wonder what the reason for you possessing this sword is, with your tremendous power, do you not?"_ Mercury nodded, and then cursed himself for forgetting to do it mentally. _"Very well then. I will show you."_ There was a bright flash, and Mercury felt his body slip away. He closed his eyes against the glare and shied away.

When he opened his eyes, Mercury was somewhere else. He was in a corridor made from an unusual shiny blue metal that seemed to glow on its own, looking down it. There were no windows, and the doors weren't like the ones on Earth, making him draw to the conclusion he was either in space or on another planet. It must be another memory. Just then two strange creatures came running down the hallway. They both seemed to be made of pure purple and black muscle with beady little eyes in oddly shaped heads. Where as one was naked and armed only with a glowing sword, the other had some yellow armor on his torso and had a strange red cylindrical weapon resembling a rifle. Mercury waited for his body to begin to move, but it didn't. He tried to move on his own and found that he could. This wasn't his memory, but then, what was it?

He stepped out into the corridor, just as another figure went running down the corridor. They were around his height and weight, wearing a black cloak that billowed out behind them as they ran and hid their face. They were carrying a sword identical to his out to his side in one hand, the blade making a shower of sparks as it scraped along the wall. The grooves on the flat sides were glowing purple, and seemed to be flowing with the colour. Mercury braced himself for impact, but the figure went right through him, not appearing to have been affected by the cat. Mercury took a second to comprehend this, then followed the figure as fast as he could.

It took Mercury and the figure less than a minute to catch up to the fleeing pair. They were staring at the dead end they'd run into, dumbstruck. The cloaked figure gave a soft, hollow cackle as he walked towards them, his blade spinning in his hand. Droplets were flying from it's end, and Mercury realized that the grooves hadn't been showing an illusion. They'd been filled with a very real purple liquid. Blood.

"I changed the landscape around a bit while you were running," the figure said. His voice sounded strange, like an echo, soft and without any soul behind it. The armored creature made a strange clicking sound, and to Mercury's utter amazement he was able to understand it.

"Herald of our lord, stand down or I will kill you!" it said. The other monster made a sound of agreement and brought his sword up in front of his eyes in an aggressive stance. The figure gave another laugh, and brought his sword around so that it was spinning in front of him.

"Do you see this sword?" he said as he spun it. "Do you know of it?" The two alien's eyes were filled with the unmistakable sparks of fear. "It is Death's Herald. This sword has killed millions of traitors like you since I created it. What makes you any different?" He brought his hand back sharply, but the sword continued to spin in front of him, gaining momentum as the limitation of its master's hand was removed, until it was all but a blur. As it did, the creatures stared at it as if hypnotized, not moving an inch. The figure clenched his fists at his side, and thrusted forwards. The rapidly revolving strip of hardened metal shot forward like a deadly propeller. One of the aliens disappeared in a flash of red before it struck, but the other wasn't so lucky. The sword turned him into a mist of purple blood and bone in a millisecond. The figure held up his hand and the blade shot back towards him like a javelin. As it approached he made no motion to avoid it and it went straight through his hood…

…and through the head of the armored alien that had just appeared behind him.

The creature swayed slightly back and forth, its head lolling around. Then it slumped backwards, dead.

The cloaked figure made no movement. He waited until he heard his enemy hit the metal floor, and then he pulled his sword out of the back of his cloak. He felt the hole in the back of his hood, and shrugged. The sword seemed to melt into his hand, exactly like Mercury could do, until it had disappeared completely. Suddenly, a blade shot out of his back, stretching from one shoulder to the other. His hood fell away, severed, and the figure shook his head, revealing a grey furred, grey eyed, cat.

All this time, Mercury had been staring at the spectacle from the side of the corridor with an assortment of emotions from bemused and curious to disgusted and horrified. He'd seen the blade begin to spin, seen it tear through the first monster and then strike the second in a suicidal stab. Now he was staring at the face of the beastly murderer. His face, although he didn't want to think of it that way. It had his features, but it showed no emotions. It was like a blank canvas waiting to be turned into a masterpiece. He was appalled. Could this person really be him, or was it some illusion created by his own mind? Could he truly be this heartless?

The black clad Mercury walked over to the corpse of the creature that had teleported behind him. The face had its eyes staring straight up with a look of surprise and dismay. The cat that had killed him knelt down, and closed the monstrosity's eyes, holding his palm to the creature's oversized cranium.

"Sleep well, warrior," Mercury heard him say in a voice far too much like his own for his own comfort. "You died with honor, even if you didn't live with it. That is all that matters."

The scene began to fade away, and Mercury felt the nerves of his body reconnect with his brain. He groaned and spasmed to make sure everything was working, and then silenced his mind as he waited for the voice to come. He didn't have to wait long.

"_Do you see now?" _the voice asked. _"That blade is a symbol of your power. It is an instigator of fear into the hearts of your enemies. It isn't just a weapon of war; it is an icon of you, and of all that you have done."_

"_What if I don't like what I've done?"_ Mercury psychologically yelled at the voice._ "What I have just seen was a murder of two helpless creatures!"_ Mercury saw again the blood running through the gorge in his sword.

"_They were both armed and skilled," _the voice reasoned.

"_Don't try and fool me! We both know that against my full power they were no more than insects!"_

"_They were traitors. The leader tried to kill our fath…"_

"_Our?"_ Mercury snapped upon the grammatical slip like he would on a unfortunate villain. The voice didn't answer him, or make any sound whatsoever. _"You said our, not your. Who are you?"_ Still there was no sound inside his head from the other entity that resided there. _"Answer me!"_ Mercury felt something touch his shoulder. As a reaction he spun while rising, summoning his sword to his hand and putting the blade in the vicinity of the unseen adversary's throat. Shadow raised his arm and the blade struck the golden ring on his wrist. Mercury relaxed his muscles when he saw who it was, and his sword snaked its way onto his back, a clasp that Ienzo had thrown together in a few minutes automatically snapping it into place.

"Sorry Shadow," Mercury said quietly. "You surprised me." He thought the ebony hedgehog might be annoyed with him, but Shadow just snorted loftily and walked a bit further away, over near the red button Mercury had seen before.

"We're here," he said with his back turned. Mercury glanced to the sides of the ship. He could still hear the sound of the engines roaring away, and he definitely hadn't heard them descend. He looked inquiringly at Shadow, unsure of if he was pulling his tail or not. Shadow wasn't the type to joke, but there was a first for everything.

"Are we landing?" Shadow said nothing, but pushed the big red button beside him. There was an ominous rumbling, and the floor below their feet began to move. Mercury looked down as a reaction to see the floor opening, and in that time Shadow was upon him. The Ultimate Lifeform slammed his fist into Mercury's chest, carrying him up to the center of the room with the driving force. There, he through Mercury down through the tiny gap between the two halves of the opening door. Mercury had to curl up to stop him being disarmed permanently.

"_Man, I hate this guy!"_ Mercury thought as he saw Shadow jump after him. _"He's wound tighter than Jupiter is. Honestly!"_ Mercury liquidated his body and slowed down, allowing Shadow to hit him. When he did, Mercury brought himself in around the hapless hedgehog, trapping him inside a casing of living metal. The grey cat twisted his captive around so that he was heading towards the ground face first.

"Nice move," Shadow said through his clenched jaw. "On anyone else it would have worked." Mercury felt the burning he associated with Chaos Control hit him on the inside, like he was trying to trap magma. He could predict what was coming next, but the near unbearable pain striking him made it impossible for him to prepare. As they were nearly at the ground, Shadow disappeared from inside him and appeared above him, performing an axe cut straight into the still rigid cat's back. Mercury was sent into the ground by his own momentum, Shadow's momentum and the power that Shadow had put into his kick, resulting in a decimating landing and a large wave in one of the multiple ponds of toxic waste scattered round the isle.

Mercury crawled out of the pool, groaning profoundly and swearing in the language he'd heard the creatures in his memory use. Shadow was crouching beside it, completely unharmed and smiling his infuriating, vampiric smile. "What was that for?" Shadow grinned cruelly at the thin alien covered in slime in front of him.

"That was a lesson, my young friend."

"And what did I learn from this?" Mercury spat, the mucus glowing from the bit of muck that mercury had inadvertadly swallowed. Shadow offered him his hand.

"Never let your guard down." Mercury took the hand and together they walked towards the point they'd agreed to meet Sonic. As they did, Mercury thought of something.

"You know, I'm actually older than you are." Shadow raised his eyebrow is mock surprise.

"Really?" Mercury nodded rather happily. Shadow did a horizontal chop into his chest, making Mercury's smile disappear. "Act it." Shadow moved on ahead, skating with his air shoes to gain speed.

Mercury grunted something unpronounceable, then said, "I will never understand him," and flew after his comrade.

**Hope everyone likes this, next chapter introduces a new player in the game.**


	13. Devils and Droids

_"Uncertainty: What is happening?"_

_"Why are we in this place? We do not belong here."_

_"Processing audio and visual recordings now."_

_"Recognition: We understand… So we have been cast aside once more. But we were so close this time. We could feel the animal's feeble flesh within our claw. We had nearly fulfilled our programming."_

_"But then that anomaly stopped us, took away our prey!"_

_"Searching data files for previous records of this creature."_

_"Curiosity: Most abnormal. There are no past meetings recorded with such a bizarre and powerful individual."_

_"Dismissive: It matters not. It was not relevant to our mission. We must still carry out what we are encoded to do."_

_"Resolution: Even if our creator no longer desires us, we will still finish what he built us for."_

_"To exterminate the hedgehog!"_

Mercury and Shadow arrived at the clearing where they'd agreed to meet Sonic and Rouge. Tails and Ienzo had been held up and missed the plane, and Mercury had flatly refused to let Cassie come along, no matter how much she complained and threatened him. It was just too dangerous, and she didn't have the skills to keep up with Shadow and the others. Naturally, Mercury wasn't looking forward to returning to Westopolis. Sonic and Rouge had been scouting ahead so that they could have an idea of what sort of defenses Dr Eggman was employing. There wasn't much. Feeling secure, the doctor had only set up a few cameras and only a small percentage of his extensive army of robots was on active guard duty. But why shouldn't Eggman feel safe? Sonic was the only one who ever dared approach his strongholds, and the blue blur had never done so unless the doctor had attacked him first. So the element of surprise was, for once, on their side.

"So tell me Shadow," Mercury asked as they practically waltzed towards Eggman's base. "Why are you helping me out, really?" Shadow looked slightly hurt.

"Is it that hard to believe that I might actually not be a complete monster?"

"Yes," Mercury said bluntly. "Based on how viciously you attacked me when I was hunting you, it is." Shadow shrugged, his previous emotion leaving his face like a broken mask.

"Not surprising. Everyone else on Earth thinks I'm a heartless murderer." Mercury looked shocked by this.

"But so many people rely on you to help them. Rouge, Captain Tange, Sonic, Ienzo, the entire city loves you. I've seen how they act around you. It's like you're a God or something."

"The people fear me," Shadow said curtly, "and out of that fear is born a sort of respect. Earthlings respect power, but it frightens them as well. Given the chance they will turn on those with power so that they may feel safe and secure. You can see it in their eyes when they look at me. Even Cassie feels that way, though only slightly. But she will change with age. They always do. Captain Tange despises me, no matter how much he tries to hide it. He hates all aliens, and that's why he doesn't trust you. He'd do anything to force me out of GUN, but he's more devoted to his job then to his own feelings. Sonic trusts just about everyone except Eggman and his creations. Rouge and Ienzo… well I have no clue why they don't hate me. Sooner or later this planet is going to want me gone, and when it does I will leave."

"That's terrible!" Mercury couldn't believe that Shadow could want to help a world that hated his guts, let alone think about it so calmly.

Shadow shrugged. "Why should I care what anyone else thinks of me? Does what they think I should affect what I am?" Mercury thought over this for a second, still not understanding it fully.

"But if you don't care what they think of you, why do you help them?" Shadow laughed icily.

"I don't save someone to hear their praise, unlike someone I know." He glared accusingly back at Sonic, who was walking behind them. Sonic just grinned and waved at the midnight black hedgehog. "I save them because I promised someone I would."

"Who?" As Mercury watched, clouds of sadness rolled over Shadow's blood red eyes. His pupils glazed over as he stared up into the smoke encased sky, memories running through his mind like a stampede.

"A girl named Maria." Mercury's body jolted as another vision appeared to him. A human girl, twelve or thirteen with long blonde hair and eyes that were enchanting pools of glimmering blue. Mercury could just make out the top of a light blue dress on her shoulders. The skin was incredibly pale, yet she looked joyous, more so than Mercury could never remember seeing anyone.

Suddenly, the picture began to burn away, the features distorting until they were replaced with something else, something terrifying. A jackal's head, with fur of black with silver streaks. A hood covered up to the creature's ears and tinted glasses hid its eyes. It was a fairly normal picture, but at the sight of it Mercury's head exploded into a chorus of tortured wails. Mercury tried to close his eyes to the picture, but it was branded into his mind. The mouth was twisted into an ungodly sneer of amusement, as if the jackal found whatever was happening around him curiously amusing.

"Let me be Pluto!" Mercury screamed without thinking. With extreme effort the extraterrestrial cat brought his eyes open and found himself facing the polluted dust he'd been walking on earlier. He pushed himself up, and saw Shadow and Sonic leaning over him in a concerned manner. Rouge was standing back a bit, looking about as concerned as a fish is about hair.

"You all right buddy?" Sonic asked. Mercury nodded and tried to rise, but his legs wouldn't hold him. The two hedgehogs managed to catch him, Sonic grunting in surprise at how much the cat actually weighed. "What are you made of Mercury? Lead?"

"No, no," Mercury assured him. "It's definitely not something that common."

"So what was that all about?" Rouge demanded from her place inspecting her nails.

"How the hell should I know?!" Mercury yelled at her. "All I saw was a picture of some blonde girl and then a shot of a monster who I called Pluto!" Rouge actually stopped what she was doing and looked at him. Mercury was usually fairly controlled about his temper; he certainly never made such a racket over being ignored.

"Blonde girl," Shadow muttered. "A human girl."

"Yeah, a pale blonde girl in a blue dress with eyes like perfect…."

"Sapphires," Shadow finished. "Maria," the angst hedgehog muttered. Mercury looked at him curiously. "You've just described Maria exactly."

"So?"

"Well, I don't recall describing how she looked to you." Mercury shrugged.

"Maybe someone else did." Shadow shook his head.

"No one else would dare." Shadow glared at Sonic again, and this time the speed demon actually cringed slightly. "And there's only two people besides me left alive who could had described her in that much detail."

"Why's that?"

"Because, Maria's been dead for fifty one years."

_"Skeptical Complaint: This operation is senseless. Why are we walking when we could be flying?"_

_"Retort: Our master does not trust us anymore. We must get away from this place without being noticed."_

_"Analyzing stored map of the area."_

_"Conclusion: There is a clear path up ahead. If we crawl just a few more meters then…"_

_"Surprised statement: What is this? Illogical! This is impossible."_

_"Status confirmation: Receptors are not malfunctioning. It is they."_

_"Conclusion: Our target is here! He and the ones who have engaged with us before, including the unrecorded one."_

_"Instruction: Initiating battle mode! We will annihilate them now and regain the trust of our creator."_

Just then, there was a rumbling off to the left of the group. "What was that?" Rouge said, a hint of alarm in her words. Not knowing which way the sound had come from, the group formed into a circle, watching everywhere. The rumbling continued until it had reached a roar. Mercury realized it was the sound of a jet engine and he looked into the sky, using his power over metal to sense if there was any aircraft anywhere nearby. He couldn't feel anything. But then, what could be making that sound…

Suddenly, one of the junk piles to his left exploded, and something shot out of the collapsing rubble. It was moving fast, as fast as Sonic easily. All Mercury could make out was a flash of metallic blue and a smoke trail before the object hit Sonic like a cannonball. It didn't stop there, bowling him and the others over before slamming Sonic into the trash heap on the other side of the trail. Only then, as it was hovering menacingly over the cobalt animaloid could Mercury see what it was.

"Metal Sonic?!" The robot didn't make any sign of registering Mercury's recognition, raising his claw up to stab Sonic like there was no one else around.

"I don't think so," Sonic grunted, "you stupid droid!" The blue hedgehog did a ferocious windmill kick, knocking Metal aside and righting himself. Metal Sonic stabilized himself easily, but not swiftly enough to avoid Shadow coming at him from the side. The Ultimate lifeform slammed Metal with a homing attack, causing the mechanical copy to fly unceremoniously into one of the lakes of toxic waste.

"Damn," Shadow cursed. "The doctor must know we're here! We'll have to move quickly to catch him before he finds a way to escape." Sonic and Rouge nodded and those three started moving towards the base again. Mercury didn't follow them at first, his attention focused on the green pit behind them. "Mercury, hurry up!" As he stared at the fluorescent green surface, a ripple appeared. It was only there for a second, but it was enough.

"Everybody move!" Mercury yelled. "It's not done yet!" As the others began to move, Metal Sonic burst from the radioactive waste. Mercury was batted out of the way before he could even move, buried deep within one of the towers of garbage.

"Heh, looks like Metal's better than before," Sonic said. "How'd that come around bots?" The question was directed at the cobalt hedgehog's double, but Sonic didn't expect it to answer. To his amazement, Metal cocked his head, his red eyes gazing intently at the source of his blueprints and the panel of his mouth vibrated.

"Statement: We will fulfill our programming once and for all, hedgehog!" Sonic was stunned into silence. Shadow tried to use Metal's conversation as a distraction and charged the robot at full speed. Without moving anything else, Metal brought its claw up and caught the ebony hedgehog by the throat. His head turned slowly, disturbingly so, until he was looking straight into Shadow's crimson eyes with his neon photoceptors. "Warning: Do not get in our way, Shadow," the robot said mechanically. "We have no dispute with you. Leave, and be spared."

"Haarrr!" Sonic ran at the metallic hedgehog doppelganger, breaking the sound barrier in two steps. Even so, Metal Sonic grabbed his opponent before he could even land a hit. The soulless machine held them both in front of its eyes, looking at them with something like curiosity.

"Surprise: I expected more of a challenge from two who have antagonized my creator for so long. Unfortunate." The droid began to tighten its grip. "Indifferent: But it is unimportant. Now we will fulfill our primary programming at long last."

"Don't count on it!" With both his arms otherwise occupied, Metal Sonic's chassis was left completely open to Rouge's screw kick. "Take this!" The metallic blue robot's casing groaned as the bat's signature move knocked it back. Part of the attack shifted the robot's circuits slightly, enough so that its claws popped open and released their captives. Metal was thrown back a few meters before the stabilizer thrusters on his elbows stopped his backwards momentum.

"Thanks Rouge," Sonic coughed. "We owe you." Shadow gave a grunt, the closest thing he'd do to agreement. Rouge winked slyly at the crimson quilled Shadow.

"I'll collect on that later Shad." Shadow cringed at the sound of his degrading nickname, but kept his eyes on Metal.

Metal Sonic stood straight and tall, the robotic limbs like razor clubs ready to bludgeon his enemy. "Scanning battle training. Confession: We will admit that you are well-built, but we will be victorious."

"Why do you keep talking about yourself as a plural?" Rouge asked. "It's incorrect, and it's getting irritating."

"Correction: False," the robot corrected. "There are many of us, for we are a collected consciousness."

"What does that mean?!"  
"Explanation: We are every hedgehog doppelganger ever built by our insightful creator, Ivo Robotnic. We know everything about Sonic that is possible to know, and more than is necessary about you two to defeat you two as well."

"What?!"

"Of course!" Shadow said in understanding. "Eggman combined all the data he's ever collected from all his sonic remakes into one robot, creating a sentinel being that can predict every move you've ever made Sonic. Heh, and here I thought he'd get dumber with old age."

"Well, at least now we know why…"Metal cut him off as his vocabulator began speaking his programming.

"Scan complete. Plan of action determined."

"What?! He distracted us while he was preparing his next attack by talking to us!" Shadow was absolutely gob smacked. "The level of AI needed for that level of planning, there's no way Eggman could have created that. Not even he's that smart!"

"Come on Shad. You can't be seri…"

"Activating organic nano-swarm." Metal raised its hands, a Swiss cheese network of holes appearing in the metal surface accompanied by an ominous buzz.

"What the…?!" Shadow and Sonic both attempted to evade what they assumed would be a laser based beam attack, but halfway through their jumps, their limbs stopped moving. All their muscles froze as if they'd been sprayed with liquid nitrogen. The two hedgehogs landed heavily as their momentum carried them on into the ground. Rouge, much slower than the two sound barrier breakers, barely had time to blink before she was rooted to the spot as well.

Metal lowered his arms, the multitude of holes disappearing instantly. "Contentment: Objective completed. Animaloids have been paralyzed. We will now move to the next objective."

"What did you do?!" Sonic yelled. Apparently his mouth and his respiratory system respectively hadn't been frozen.

"Mocking: Foolish hedgehog! You are so simple minded. We unleashed a swarm of miniscule insect like robots that are at this very moment sending electrical currents through your muscles, rendering them useless. You pitiful organic meatbags are completely helpless to our wrath now."

_"He's right!"_ Sonic thought. _"I can't move! None of us can! Oh no!"_ Metal Sonic almost looked like it was smiling as the droid walked meaningfully towards its living mold. Its claws stretched and clenched, and Sonic could swear the murderous robot would be licking its lips if it had any.

"Elation: Now we can finally complete our primary programming!" Sonic couldn't detect any happiness in the words, but then again this was a robot after all. He didn't have a heart to feel happiness. Metal reached down and wrapped its titanium fingers around Sonic's slender neck, pulling him up. "Now we will finish this once and for all, my loathsome copy! We will prove who the real Sonic are!"

"Still going on about that are we?" Sonic tried to laugh for a second, but was cut off by Metal's tightening talons. "Even if you kill me, you'll never be real. You got that, fake?!" The metallic and silver face's emotion didn't change from its usual angry glaring look, but the robot's hand tightened even further.

"Contemplation: That is a possibility, and probable. But we have no choice but to try." The robot raised its other hand, sharpened claws extended. "Goodbye, Sonic the hedgehog!" Sonic tried to shut his eyes as the metal hand, propelled by the booster in Metal's elbow, came at him, but the muscles he used to open his eyes had been shocked open. The last thoughts he had before the razor sharp hand went through his skull was a contest between regretting his own obnoxiousness and swearing at himself for not destroying Dr Eggman's records when he had the chance.

Barely three millimeters before the first layer of Sonic's fur, Metal's hand stopped abruptly. Sonic, who was still attempting to wince, growled at his robotic twin. "Well, are you going to get it over with or not?" He looked up at the droid's face, but Metal was looking at his own arm with a sort of artificial curiosity that Eggman had programmed Metal to display whenever the supercomputer processor cased within its cranium was trying to understand an unpredicted phenomenon. The doctor said it made the robot seem more natural, which would unnerve Sonic. Mostly Sonic didn't notice, but he was barely ever close enough to Metal for long enough to notice.

Metal's head did a full 180 revolution to look at something behind him. Sonic craned his neck to try and see as well, but of course his neck muscles weren't responding. "Resignation: Why are we not surprised?!"

"Probably because it was an inevitable outcome," a voice the cobalt hedgehog recognized said back.

"Mercury!" Metal Sonic was thrown aside by an unseen force revealing a disgruntled cat behind it. Mercury's clothes looked a little worse for wear, but as usual his anorexic frame was completely unharmed. Mercury looked at the three paralyzed earthlings and chuckled.

"You didn't think I'd let you three have all the fun did you?" He allowed himself a louder laugh at the looks of contempt and fury on Shadow and Rouge's faces. He turned to Metal, his double bladed sword flying into his hand. "Now let's see what we can do with you!"

**Exactly 3000 words! Once again, my updating is slow, I apologize. Also, this would have included Mercury and Metal's fight, but I decided that would make this update very, very late again. Also, yes I stole how Metal speaks from HK-47 in KOTOR, but I thought that would fit. Hope everyone likes it! Antares out!**


	14. Controllers of Metal

**Sorry this took a while. My only excuse is laziness and stress from school. Now, enjoy the face off between Metal and Mercury!**

Metal and Mercury circled each other, studying the others movements as they prepared their strategies. Mercury could feel the calculating red neon receptors following his every molecule, picking out the unconscious patterns in his movements that could lead to the prediction of his attacks. He in turn studied how quickly Metal's engine moved his titanium limbs and the angles at which they moved. It was an unnecessary precaution, as Mercury powers were going to make this battle very short. A flick of his wrist and this helpless robot was going into orbit. But there was no harm in a bit of study, was there.

"Get on with it!" Sonic yelled from his place head first in the ground. "I want to see some robot butt kicking!"

"Shut up Sonic," Mercury muttered, not taking his eyes off Metal. "I know what I'm doing."

"But…"

"I said shut it!" Mercury took his eyes off Metal for less than a second, but in that instant the robot doppelganger made its move. Its jets firing instantaneously, Metal came at Mercury like a speeding bullet, aiming its lethal fingers towards Mercury's neck. Even so, the cat was able to bring his palm round to deflect the strike harmlessly past his ear. Retro rockets fired in Mercury's face as Metal stopped itself dead, bringing its other arm up at Mercury's temple. Again Mercury misdirected the strike wide, this time bringing his own hand up to strike the robot in its armored core. The attack had a massive amount of power behind it and Metal was once again sent flying backwards a few steps before correcting its movement.

"Reluctant compliment: You are skilled, more skilled we must admit than any we have faced before. This battle will be useful research material for our creator."

"Yeah, well sorry to disappoint you," Mercury sneered, raising his open palm, "but this battle's over." The unearthly creature thrust his hand forward, concentrating his abnormal powers onto the metal in the droid's body, which was just about everything. "Prepare to meet the stars, robot!"

"Pitying correction: We don't think so. Activate anti-magnetic barrier!" There was a small flash and Metal's body was illuminated with a strange blue aura. As soon as the light appeared, Mercury felt his grip on the robot slip away, misdirected without his approval. Mercury was shocked. Again he tried to grasp at the robot through his powers, but it was as if Metal Sonic wasn't there. Nothing like had ever happened, not even in his shattered memories. How was it possible that this robot could hold such power?

"Bemused query: Are you wondering what is happening?" Metal showed no signs of happiness or amusement on his mouthless face, but Mercury was sure that the robot's eyes glowed with a fierce enjoyment. "After our last encounter with you, our processors worked ceaselessly to create a counter-strategy to your unusual abilities. We theorized that your powers revolved around a crafting of magnetic fields beyond our sensors, so our plan was to bend these fields counteractively around ourselves, making us untouchable. Further attempts will be futile."

Mercury listened to all of this, growing less frustrated and calmer with every word. Mercury's soul was a curious one, and not knowing what was stopping him infuriated him. Had Metal not explained what was happening, it would have had Mercury at a disadvantage. Artificial arrogance would be the metallic monstrosity's downfall, Mercury was sure of it. Now that he knew what was happening, his mind was already devising a new plan of attack.

"Well, you seem to have taken away part of my advantage." Mercury wasn't sneering, but his confidence hadn't left his eyes. He raised his hand, and the sword on his back flew to his fingers. "But you're still no match for Mercury, first of the failures." Mercury charged Metal, blade spinning in front of him like a deadly propeller. Metal flew upwards, trying to escape Mercury's range, but Mercury flew after him and Metal was forced to outrun the alien feline. On a straight run, Metal could hold its own with Sonic and Shadow, but piles of trash miles high constantly barred its path, forcing the copy of the blue blur to slow its speed to avoid it. But Mercury had no such problem, his body bending around the obstacles as easy as water runs down a mountain. Indeed, it was an undesirable situation for Metal Sonic. "You can never outrun me!" Metal's audio receivers caught as it felt Mercury's blade scratch the edge of its toes. The blade was hard and sharp, sharp enough even to cut through the tips of its metal feet. Finally, Metal came to the conclusion that outrunning this opponent was not an option.

"Clarification: We have many more ways to defeat you than beating you in a fair race. Equal terms have never been our specialty." Turning round, Metal fired a rocket from his wrist and activated his afterburners. The rocket exploded on Mercury's blade, not damaging it or harming the cat but blinding him temporarily. When Mercury exited the smoke cloud, Metal wasn't ahead of him.

"Where are you," Mercury muttered to himself. His eyes scanned the junk pillars around him. Then he spotted it, standing tall atop the tallest of the piles fifty meters away.

"Haughty boast: Prepare to face our most ingenious programming. Robotic reanimation!" Blue sparks danced around Metal's fingers as it slammed the hand into the surface of the column it was standing on. The sapphire bolts moved round the pile and what appeared to be discarded robot parts began to float out of the heap towards the metallic cobalt copycat, grouping together in balls of lightning. Having realized whatever Metal Sonic was doing was dangerous, Mercury flew towards it. But before he'd made it twenty meters Metal raised its hand, its vocabulator miming some order Mercury's ears missed. Whatever it'd done, it was effective. For a few seconds, Mercury lost control of his body. Moving at such a high velocity this of course meant that he made an undignified crash landing. Having left the range of whatever weapon Metal had used, Mercury looked up to see now two robot bodies beside his droid opponent. They had the basic same shape of Metal Sonic, but were much more roughly made, the same blue energy Metal had summoned them with sparking between their joints. "Now, Conscience separation. Shadow android and Silver Sonic!" Metal's body convulsed, and two streams of numbers shot from the robot's cranium into its creations. As soon as the numerals entered the newly completed bodies, neon red eyes shone from their heads. "Order: Now, our brethren, help us destroy the feline!"

"Understood!" All three of them looked towards the ground where Mercury had been, to see the animaloid speeding at them with a look of absolute determination on his face.

_"Great," _Mercury thought as he slashed at the first junk bot. The machine dodged easily, and worked with the others to push Mercury back. _"The stupid thing can split its programming into new bodies. Now I'm outnumbered." _ Not being able to use his powers on Metal directly, and now behind in numbers, Mercury was losing badly. His sword sliced through the new adversaries multiple times, but every time they lost part of their anatomy, bolts of electricity brought the lost parts back. The original doppelganger hung back, firing lasers and rockets from its wrists every chance it had.

Before long Mercury found himself back in the clearing where Sonic and the others were. "Hey!" Sonic yelled. "Aren't you done with that stupid thing yet?"

"I told you before Sonic, desist from speaking to me!"

"Do as he says," Shadow advised his blue comrade. "If it is taking him this long, then Metal must be stronger than ever." Mercury had to agree with the last son of the Black Arms. Mercury tried to remember a harder opponent he'd faced in his mysterious past. This robot was trouncing him as badly as Jupiter had in his flashback. Every inch of his forearms and shins felt like a living punching bag, and his chest wasn't much better. He wasn't tired, he didn't have any muscles to feel tired as far as he knew, but not being able to take out something that by the law of his skills should be powerless against him, was beginning to agitate him. And, as history has proved so many times, it is those who attack with emotion that are the ones who lose. And, in a repetition of times gone by, it happened again. Mercury swung his sword furiously at Silver Sonic's shell, blade flat in an attempt to knock the pieces he'd remove far enough away so that they wouldn't return. The weapon passed through the abnormal machine's empty joint and as that robot escaped damage the other rushed in and knocked the sword high. Registering its chance, the real Metal Sonic rose and grasped Mercury's weapon, holding it within his magnetic field. The robot to the left made a carefully calculated uppercut, followed by the other homing attacking the helpless alien. Mercury flew back, failing to stop himself and crashing deep into the ground. Before he'd even began to rise, the new bodies of Silver Sonic and the Shadow Android were waiting above him, looking intently at their creator.

"Decisive order: Finish him!" The robots' only register of the order was to turn ominously towards Mercury.

"_Damn it," _Mercury mentally yelled. _"I'm going to regret this later! Voices, this would be a really good time for some advice. Anything?!"_

"_Have you tried to control the copies?" _The harsh voice asked, a sort of dry amusement in his voice. Mercury hadn't. He'd assumed that Metal would have created these new bodies with the same sort of magnetic defenses that it itself had. But was it possible that the accursed robot had planned for his assumption and done without? Well, there was only one way to find out.

Metal watched Mercury curiously as its two lackeys moved towards him. More than one of its artificial personalities were marveling at the stupidity of these meatbags, more were ignoring the cat completely and planning what they were going to do to the fake hedgehog, Sonic, once this annoyance was out of the way. Only one remained skeptical: the Metal Sonic that had surpassed the limits of all the others in becoming the almighty Neo Metal Sonic, and the monstrous Metal Overlord after that, strong enough not only to disobey the master, Dr Eggman, but defeat and control his army single handedly. It was the dominant sentinel in this body, the alpha male so to speak. This creature, it fascinated it. There were few that the former Neo found worthy of fighting. Sonic was programmed to be among them, but Metal also found that Shadow was a very challenging adversary. Knuckles the Echidna, a muscle-bound red animaloid and a companion of its loathsome copy also proved a match for Metal's mechanical might, though not nearly at Shadow's level. But this…Mercury, he was a whole other league. He fought at his full compacity at all times. But it wasn't like he was desperate, no, he used his full power because he could afford to. But now it was all going to end.

Or was it?

Silver Sonic and Shadow Android went at Mercury, beginning a homing attack copied from Sonic as they closed in. The two now deadly sawblades dived at Mercury at an impossible speed…

And stopped.

Mercury was standing again, hands held high, smiling. Metal sensors could read the power flowing from him into the unprotected bodies of his two minions. "Critical observation: Took you long enough."

"Sorry to disappoint." Mercury sneered. "But I'd rather not die until I know who I am. And to do that," the grey cat's fists tightened, causing the metal bodies to shriek in protest, "I have to defeat you." With a roar, he threw his hands up, sending the two bodies careening up into the atmosphere.

The instant it was obvious that both the separate entities were doomed, Silver Sonic and Shadow Android's data streams abandoned the junk husks and returned to their combined host. Metal's shell shuddered as the information, renewed with captured data, updated its system. The spasm was so violent that it dropped Mercury sword, allowing it to return to its master. New experience flowed through it, and with it new strategies. Metal regained its composure and faced Mercury; its hard drive confirmed that its battle plan would be successful.

Once again, the duelist circled, both confident in their own success. Then, in a flash they met again, Mercury's sword dancing as Metal's claws slashed. Neither seemed to have tired at all, though they had been fighting for nearly a quarter of an hour. Then again, Metal Sonic was a robot and Mercury was an alien, so weariness probably wasn't even in their vocabularies, besides a description of an enemy. But neither side's power was infinite, if one of them didn't make a break soon the fight was going to end with both parties flat on their faces. Metal knew this, even if Mercury didn't realize it yet. Its solar batteries were flashing red, and there wasn't strong enough sunlight to replenish it under battle conditions. So it was time for Metal to pull its trump card, metaphorically speaking.

"Confident boast: We know how to defeat you, Mercury first of the failures. We need only the opening to finish this confrontation once and for all. And then we will finish off your friends, and our master will once again praise us as his greatest creation." Metal made a wild outer strike at Mercury's throat, which the feline blocked with his sword.

"Tell me Metal," Mercury grunted as he tried to push the metallic blue arm away from him. "You are an incredibly intelligent being. So why do you serve one who is weaker than you. Eggman is not worthy of such loyalty. He is nothing but a worthless coward." Mercury wasn't positive that Eggman was a coward, but from how he'd seen him act last time he'd seen Metal he was pretty sure his guess would be close enough.

"Confused musing: That would be correct. But he is our creator." Metal knocked aside Mercury arm, transformed into a sickle like blade. "We are indebted to serve him."

"All birds must leave the nest at some point, no matter their origin. Once again, why serve someone weaker than yourself." Mercury increased his barrage, pressuring Metal's processors to work on answering his question while defending its body.

"Error: Logic and programming clashing. Unable to compute." Metal's eyes began flashing multiple colours. Taking the initiative, Mercury slammed Metal with an uppercut inside his jet booster's intake. Unable to counter balance the force, Metal went skyrocketing, right into Mercury's waiting snare.

"Take this!" The alien slammed his robot opponent up with his knees again and again until they were a good 100 meters off the ground. Then, he began to spin, faster and faster, his sword spinning above his head, until he was revolving faster than sound. Doing this created an unnerving whistle that made the ear tingle. Then without warning he began slamming his arms, legs and tail into Metal, all concentrated to be harder than iron, creating crater sized dents in Metal's armor. Finally he wrapped his tail around Metal's framework and positioning himself head first above him, his twin bladed sword-staff still spinning violently fast. "Magnetic cyclone!" Pushing himself down with force of a falling skyscraper, Mercury slammed himself and Metal down into the ground and drilled the unfortunate robot deep into the contaminated earth. "HAAAAAR!"

His attack finished, Mercury flipped out of the massive crater his move had created, smiling at his own handiwork. Nothing could have survived that, not even Shadow. Satisfied, he began to walk away, but stopped abruptly. There was still a sound echoing from the hole in the dump. Mechanical sounds.

"Error: Error: Error: Error."

"_Impossible," _Mercury thought. _"I put so much power into that attack!"_

"_Even the strongest techniques are useless against some opponents."_

"_Shut up already,"_

"_But you asked for my advice."_

"……_curse you!"_

Mercury walked up the crater wearily. Reaching the rim, he peaked over at where he thought he'd slammed Metal. There was nothing there but a crumpled heap of used construction material. "What the…" The slightest whistle informed Mercury of a presence behind him, and his hand rose only seconds before Metal made a grab for him. The robot was dented, sparking and limping, or more hovering in jolts, and one of his eyes had a crack running down the centre, but the grip on Mercury bony limb was stronger than iron.

"Exclamation: We have you now!"

"But how…?"

"Metaphor: Never reveal your hand before all is revealed. Unnecessary explanation: While you wasted your energy on that fancy maneuver, our shields redirected the damage to unnecessary portions of our body. Ingenious, don't you think?" Mercury could swear he detected arrogance and pleasure in Metal's monotone. "But now, as we promised, we have you exactly in place for our final display!" As it said it, Mercury felt the grip on his arm tighten. Not only that, he'd stopped sensing the point of contact between Metal and his skin. Looking down, Mercury saw a blue glow around Metal's claws like when he'd activated the barrier, only brighter. "Weary assumption: We suppose you'll want us to explain this as well." Faster than even Sonic could move, Metal grabbed Mercury's other wrist, disabling him. His sword clattered to the ground. Mercury didn't dare try anything with the rest of his body in case Metal caught more of him. "Explanation: While watching you we noticed that, thought you move with speed and grace, your body mass is too small to support any such movement, especially considering how dense your bones are. Having observed your later skills as well, we have come to the conclusion that you use you magnetic powers to move you genetically altered metallic structure. An incredible skill, offering nearly unsurpassable power yet as precise control as the subjects own thoughts, but it has one flaw. By projecting our magnetic barrier over your body we can, figuratively speaking, petrify you. Musing: We wonder, what would happen if we projected this over your head?" Mercury stiffened. "Would you, figuratively speaking, cease to function? We wish to test this, literally speaking." Mercury tried to move, but before his own eyes he saw the glow move from his arm all along his body, down his legs and tail, right up to his collarbone. He was completely paralyzed, his tail and knees going limp, his body only held up by Metal's unyielding grip on his arms.

Metal's impassive red eyes fixed on Mercury's stony grey ones. Artificial light staring into a lack of light. Almost poetic. Metal's photoceptors gathered the last information it needed, and then it began to force the barrier upwards, towards Mercury's nervous centre.

"_This is it," _Mercury though despairingly._ "The end. There's nothing I can do now. It's all over. Maybe in death I can finally learn about my past. Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Gaia. Soon you will all be known to me."_

The light reached his Adams apple.

"_Wait, who is Gaia. Damn, why do I have to have a revelation now?! Someone hates me. I swear by my sword I'll…"_

The glow radiated over his chin illuminating the metallic hairs.

"_Wait, my sword. Maybe it I can…" _Mercury looked down at his unique blade, lying where he'd dropped it. _"Metal's put its foot on it, but if I can just…"_

Now it was at his lower lip, shining onto his falsely coloured teeth.

"Ultimatum: This is your end. Prepare to meet your maker!"

"So you think, you stupid robot!" Focusing his powers outside the barrier around them, Mercury bent his sword upwards, slamming the flat of the blade into his elbow joint. With nothing holding it in place, his hand flew forwards, straight into Metal Sonic's chassis, through its engine core. The engine that powered the magnetic barrier. Metal bent backwards in a sort of imitation gagging movement. The barrier stopped at the base of Mercury's skull…

…And receded.

Free of his simulated cage, Mercury attracted his weapon and placed it against the fallen doppelganger's neckpiece. "Astonished statement: It is not possible! Even at the edge of shutdown and powerless you still managed to counter our strategy. It is truly amazing." Mercury looked down at the kneeling form before him. He had nothing against this robot really. It was only doing what it was programmed to. Somehow, he thought he might have done the same thing in the past he couldn't remember. But it was a threat to him now so it had to be exterminated. Maybe under different circumstances he could have learned from this prodigy of science, but not now.

"Are you ready to blackout?" Mercury asked.

"Overdue answer: You asked us before why we served one who is so much weaker than ourselves. We could not answer you then, nor can we now. But we will accept you advice." Metal Sonic rose slightly onto one knee, not taking its face away from the earth. Mercury took up a defensive stance, but Metal made no move against him. Then it spoke again, and its words shocked the extra terrestrial feline.

"Statement: What is thy bidding, my master?"

**More action and more Star Wars copyright infringements. I'm sure George Lucas hates me. What happens next is a mystery to all. Review! **


	15. Fear Personified

**Warning: the last of the failures has a twisted sense of fun that will be expressed in this chapter. Not for the weak hearted. You have been warned.**

Deep in the blandness of space, massive yet seeming small in the vastness of the empty universe, floated a fleet of thousands of red and black ships. Floated may not be the perfect phrase, as the spacecrafts were moving at nearly the speed of light. And that was only in third gear.

The ships ranged in size, from the fighters, shaped like lethal darts, which scouted ahead to massive destroyers, triangular and armed to the teeth. Each ship of every description was unique, as if they had been born and developed differently. The biggest of these destroyers moved a bit above the rest, assuming which way was up in space, radiating a sort of dominance over the rest of the armada. This ship was more bricklike, and thicker as well as longer than the rest. The red was also streaked with the silver of metal, making the ship look more mechanical and less like an organism. The most notable difference, however, was the strange contraption strapped to the top of the ship. It looked like a satellite dish, but instead of having a single antenna in the centre pointing out there were multiple antennae around the rim of the dish, aimed inwards at a sharpened crystal. The apparatus seemed to serve no purpose, and looked as if it hadn't been used in a while. Parts of the implanted device looked worse for wear, as if they hadn't been looked at, taken care of or replaced in half a century. The rest of the ship was crystal clean and in perfect nick. Just what a flagship should be.

Red and black aliens ran through the craft's corridors like bees in a beehive. Most of the creatures were monsters with muscles bulging, undersized heads and red pinpricks for eyes. In the larger rooms, most likely bunkers or hangers, there were absolute extremity of this, bigger than dump trucks. These creatures were doing nothing but training, swinging massive swords or clubs, or simply standing somewhere without moving, sleeping most likely. A few beasts of flight flew through the bowels of the ship, possibly acting as messengers. They were mostly smaller creatures, as big as rats, but some were as big enough for Shadow to ride them. Less than a hundred were wearing pale yellow armor armed with strange launcher like weapons attached. The last group that could be described was the strangest. The creatures were thinner than the first group but taller. They were wearing the same armor as some of the flying creatures and carried red cylinder shaped rifles, only ever appearing in groups of two. And appearing was the correct verb, as they simply kept teleporting in warps of light.

Different as they all were, every singe one of these aliens shared two things in common. They all had the same red and black skin, dictating them as denomination of the same race. The other thing was, even though not a single one of them had a mouth or features to show feelings, they all radiated the same emotion.

Fear.

At the back of the ship, for around the last five hundred meters, there was nearly no one. Not a singe one of the aliens that inhabited this area. None of them dared, for they were forbidden by those who did. Their masters by force, and yet their half brethren. Monsters created by their old lord, more powerful then could be comprehended. And cruel, so cruel, even to their own.

"HAARGH!" Mars roared as millions of volts pulsed through his body. Above him on a throne of ebony stone sat a giant eagle, yellow sparks jumping between his fingers. Red lines streaked his orange feathers and gold glittered round their rims. A malicious grin rested on the giant's beak. Jupiter was the perfect stereotype of an ignorant and cruel ruler.

"Had enough yet?" he asked Mars mockingly. Mars looked up at him with eyes full of nearly unsurpassed hatred almost equal to that he had shown Mercury.

"You bas…"

"I'll take that as a no." Jupiter raised his hand and bolts of lightning cascaded onto Mars' helpless body. Mars let out another tortured scream and collapsed completely. "What type of soldier are you, you weakling. Take you punishment!"

"That'ssss enough Jupiter!" The eagle's next wave of lightning was intercepted by a stream of water materializing between Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter turned angrily round to find the culprit. There were four other people in the room: a sea blue eel, a silver and orange striped owl, a creature completely covered by a white suit with the wings and ears of a bat and a figure draped in a cloak of shadows. Besides from the bat winged one the rest wore the same uniform as Jupiter and Mars, and all but the one hidden in darkness were nearly as big as Jupiter, though none topped his height. Though they all displayed power in their stance, only the one in darkness was carrying a weapon, a scythe with a blade as black as his clothes. The water was flowing out from the outstretched hand of the eel, the serpent like figure shaking as the bolts passed through it into the floor. "He'ssss had hisss punishment." The eel's speech was slurred as he hissed.

Jupiter snorted. "You're soft Neptune. He let that traitor live, the one who has caused us so much pain. He deserves…"

"You imbisssssile!" Neptune snapped. "Mars could never have killed Mercury, no matter how much he wanted to. By esssscaping he kept himssself alive, bringing ussss back the information we needed. He hassss done nothing wrong."

The eagle growled and began rising from his seat. Neptune flinched away as a reaction, immediately regretting it afterwards. "Coward." Jupiter began charging up his power in his palms. "I'll teach you to talk to your betters like that!" Jupiter sent electricity flying at Neptune, but the eel turned himself into a stream of water and slid away before the attack struck him. Jupiter turned with the speed of a jaguar, keeping his eyes on the moving liquid. And as the eel solidified, he was ready with his next attack. Sparks ran along the giant's arms, building up into a glowing ball in his fist. He drew back to throw the energy ball, but suddenly he felt two arms lock around his own, restraining him. Jupiter looked over, but none of the other figures in the room had moved, or even batted an eyelid. Neptune was still standing at the ready, but the giant sea serpent had stopped trembling. "Why do you hold me back Saturn?" he hissed at whatever was restraining him. "Are you a traitor as well?"

"Of course not my lord," the owl said, though she was appeared to be nowhere near Jupiter. Her voice was lusciously female and seductive. "You are our ruler after all. To betray you would be a death wish."

"Then why are you stopping me from inflicting punishment on this ungrateful squint?!" He indicated to the figure on his back. It was an exact replica of Saturn, her arms hooked in Jupiter's armpits to stop him firing upon Neptune and the claws on her feet digging into his back to steady herself.

"It is like Neptune said before; this is a critical stage in our plan. If we are not all at our full strength the plan may very well fail. I believe that if you extract your wrath upon Neptune he will be unable to perform his part in the plan."

"Father attacked that planet with only a third of the Black Arms strength…"

"And father paid for that mistake. He was overconfident. We will not make the same mistake." Jupiter clenched his fists for a second, the balloon of electrical energy glowing a near blindingly bright for a second or two. He smiled as he saw the fear in his sibling's faces, and then extinguished the power.

"If you say so, Saturn. But if anything goes wrong, I'm holding you responsible."

"Very well. But Mercury may be an unseen obstacle." Saturn suddenly wavered for a second. "Hold on a sec." The owl put her hands together, concentrating power in between her palms. "Time lapse!" There was a flash from the centre of her chest and the first Saturn disappeared. Jupiter felt the Saturn on his back shiver and the arms around him loosened. Then the second Saturn began speaking in the same tone and on the same matter as the first. "Now that that's handled, we're going to need a plan to make sure Mercury doesn't ruin our plan. If he still has the controller then he could destroy us all in a heartbeat."

"That isssss an unwanted outcome," Neptune said. "But according to Marsss' reconnaisssssance Mercury didn't have the controller with him. If he had, why would he have wassssted hissss energy going into a proper duel with Marsss. It's illogical, and as we all know Mercury isss all but ruled by logic."

"I never really understood Mercury anyway," Jupiter said before yawning. "But even with that controller he's no match for my power. On top of that," Jupiter began grinning maliciously, "Mars said he'd lost his memory. Without all his battle training and experience, I'd bet he'd be no harder to beat than a common grunt. Am I correct?" The last part was stated as a question, but Jupiter doubted anyone was going to disagree with him. As he'd expected, no one did. "Good. Now Neptune, what do you suggest we do for our first attack?" Strong as he was, Jupiter had long ago realized that it would be wise not to try and fabricate plans himself. Medial tasks like that were better left to those who reveled in the challenge, like Neptune, Pluto and Mercury.

Mercury…

"I would suggest that we send squads around 4 hours ahead of the main strike force to handle our two traitors; one for Mercury and one for Shadow. We'll need to use the very best we can spare, otherwise we might as well be sending a warning notice."

"OK then, Uranus!" Jupiter voice boomed orderly in the direction of the giant white bat. Uranus turned to him. It was strange; from head to toe there was nothing to be seen but a pearly white, thick fabric suit covering everything, even the eyes, giving it a ghostly and unnatural appearance. The bat was clearly female and big, but besides from that nothing else could really be said about her. She stood there with her hands by her side, her featureless face giving nothing away. "You will be going ahead to take care of Shadow." Uranus nodded solemnly.

"Jupiter, surely it would be wiser to…"

"Silence Neptune!" Again, Neptune jumped back involuntarily. "You said we had to send the best we could spare, and who is better than one of the Failures?"

"But…"

"A squad of elites will be accompanying you! Happy now?!" Jupiter's hand sparked warningly, and Neptune shut up. Uranus cocked her head to one side, confused by her sibling's strange behavior.

"And who will lead the attack on Mercury?" Saturn asked calmly. "Surely you will not attempt the mission yourself, because to send any of us would be a suicide mission!"

"Of course not!" A maniacal grin was spreading over the eagle's face. "That's why I'm not sending one of us. Pluto!" Jupiter turned to where the last person in the room, the one clothed in darkness was. The figure hadn't moved an inch through the entire proceedings, not even flinching while Jupiter had mercilessly tortured his own brother. It was as if he wasn't even there. Jupiter's grin widened beyond that possible of a person in their right mind. "You'll be taking on Mercury alone, you sniveling little runt. You got…hey!" Taking absolutely no notice of the blustering bird, Pluto walked out of the shadow he'd been inhabiting for the meeting and heading for the door. For the merest instant Jupiter caught a look at Pluto's face, hidden by the hood as dark as a silhouette at midnight that he always wore. The face of a jackal, muzzle sticking out like a starved carnivore's, teeth hidden beneath his thin lips, his eyes covered by a pair of impenetrable sunglasses. There were few things that scared someone like Jupiter, some might say he was strong enough to be rationally fearless, but Pluto chilled every atom in his gigantic body. "Get back in here! I'm not done with you!" Pluto continued acting as if there was nothing else in the room. "That's it! I'm going to teach you your place you little runt!" Jupiter swung his hand down, charging another bolt of electricity in his palm. Still Pluto took no notice. "Look at me!" Jupiter released his stored energy at Pluto in the form of an awe inspiring bolt of charged particles.

The reaction was instantaneous. The jackal swayed slightly, just enough for the superfast, superheated energy bolt to miss him. Before Jupiter could charge another attack Pluto was upon him, standing on his colossal chest and holding him by the throat. Even this close, Jupiter couldn't spot any sign of emotion on the jackal's face. Then, ever so slowly, Pluto's hand reached up to remove his glasses. Jupiter's entire body stiffened. He'd seen those eyes once before, the day their father had shown them the last of the Failures. It had been the worst day of his overly extended life. Never again had he allowed himself to look into those eyes. Who know what Pluto could achieve with them now that he had over a thousand years worth of practice?

"Don't you dare!" Jupiter seethed. Pluto looked at him, his glasses still in place, and Jupiter saw an amused smile crossed his lips. It was infuriating, being mocked yet being unable to fight back, for that was the terror that this runt was capable of.

Without another word Pluto jumped off his taller brother and left the room without a word. Jupiter dropped back into his throne unceremoniously, looking round the room. His four remaining siblings were looking at him strangely: Saturn looked surprised, Neptune looked pleased but was trying to hide it, Uranus looked like, well Uranus, and Mars, who had managed to regain consciousness, was snickering. "What are you laughing at?!" he growled at his smallest present family member, and prepared to regain his status through another round of torture.

Imbeciles.

That's what they all were. Brainless, senseless imbeciles. He'd seen it from the first time he'd set eyes on them, all those centuries ago. He was superior to them, mentally if not physically. Father had thought so, that's why he'd given him the missions with Mercury, his favourite Failure. It was so obvious, like identifying who was in the mirror when you looked in. Yet that idiot Jupiter still thought himself greater then him, simply because he was bigger and had greater power revenues. It was pitiful. What a fool.

These were the thoughts that ran through Pluto's head as he moved from the throne room to his personal chambers. As the youngest and physically weakest of the Failures, some of the more powerful members often fell into the habit of belittling him. Now and again it was appropriate to show them how powerless they really were. Pluto couldn't deny that he enjoyed seeing the fear in Jupiter's eyes as he reached for his shades, but such enjoyment was barely worth the effort compared to what he could achieve with even a fragment of his powers. The other Failures, and indeed the entire universe were right to fear him for if he ever wished to he could tear their minds to shreds, for that was his skill. Mental manipulation. Not one of the cheap circus tricksters he had observed on so many planets but a real manipulator of the psychological realm. With the slightest touch he could resurface a person's worst nightmares, breaking their spirits with constant recollection. With stronger spirits he was forced to going even further, mixing the subjects night terrors with those of others, creating unimaginable monsters. And with the records of millions of unfortunate victim's fears over his 1300 years of living, there was nothing he could not create. In many intelligent systems he was listed as the second most wanted criminal, second only to his eldest brother Mercury.

Mercury.

Pluto had always known that Mercury was going to return, ever since he'd disappeared from the _Shrine _nearly five decades ago. Pluto had made sure to keep part of his conscience tracking his big brother, ready to alert him when he began to resurface. Mercury had been chosen as his master when their father had grown tired of teaching him. It was no secret that his brother had despised him, but his loyalty to their father then had been unshakable and he had taught him well, showing him the beauty of physical torture. He had also been his instructor in battle training, an art that Pluto had since mastered. Yes, Pluto had respected him and followed his lead. But above all Pluto was loyal to his creator and parent, so when Mercury had betrayed them he had simply moved on. Change was inevitable. As was the change's unavoidable consequences. Fighting Mercury was going to be interesting. Pluto was certain that he had surpassed his old master. Pluto almost smiled at the thought. Yes, it would be most amusing, but until then he had other jobs to entertain him.

Pluto entered his chambers, the automatic doors opening with an unusual whiz. The room looked like it had been split perfectly in two. One side of the chamber was a library, countless shelves sitting on red carpet packed with hundreds of books on incomprehensible subjects. Pluto was a seeker of knowledge, no matter the topic. In Pluto's mind, without knowledge there was nothing worthwhile. Everything could be broken down into data, and all data could be used for one's own ends. Even all the workings of the brain could be broken down to its base. Pluto walked over to an oak-like desk close to the door and picked up the book he'd been memorizing before Jupiter had ordered him to witness Mars' torture. Compared to Pluto's own shows, that meeting had been a letdown. It wasn't subtle, it wasn't drawn out, and Mars' reaction hadn't even been mildly amusing. Why did that charged leader wannabe even bother, it was just embarrassing.

The book was on the rituals of an obscure tribe somewhere on a backwater planet at the rim of this galaxy. The fox-related animals practiced some of the most vicious and bloodthirsty rituals Pluto had ever heard of. The jackal grinned to himself as he read the most unusual tradition, indicating that boys had to tear out their own hearts with a knife and eat it to signify their passing into manhood. Somehow their bodies had evolved beyond the point of requiring their heart. An abnormality that merited further investigation, once this business with Earth was over.

Still reading with one hand, Pluto walked over to the other side of the room. His footsteps began to clang as the carpet changed to bare metal. Once at the other wall he paused, engrossed in his reading. Suddenly a drop of something clear hit the pages. Pluto looked up. Above him, hung from the wall on an iron cross, was a falcon nailed to it, drooling and moaning from exhaustion and pain. Many more animaloids hung from identical crosses in this half in varying states of consciousness and health, like living trophies. Pluto frowned at the one who had stained his precious book. This bird was here on Saturn's request; he had some information she needed for one of her projects. So far he'd been hard to crack, but Pluto hadn't been putting all his energy into the torture. But now he would.

Pluto leapt up onto the crucifix, balancing himself on the crossbeam. The flacon looked up at him, fear and disgust fused in his tired eyes. A combination Pluto would have to remember in the future.

"You rabid monster!" the falcon spat. More saliva hit his book. Pluto ignored the bird and placed his hand on his victim's forehead, concentrating on the heart eating ritual he'd just read. Pluto felt his hand tingle as the thoughts began to transfer, and a purple glow appeared around his bony fingers. The falcon's expression became puzzled as the first images hit his subconscious, then terror as the full force of the thoughts began to take hold. Pluto knew that now this animal would be seeing his own heart being torn from his chest, still beating, and being forced into his mouth. But to him it wouldn't just be a thought. It would feel like a reality. Every cell in his body would be screaming at him, telling him that he was having his second most important internal organ fed to him. The falcon began to spasm and squawking hysterically, disturbing some of the other prisoners, but Pluto kept his fingers in contact with his victim. Pluto could feel their fear all around him, intoxicating him, exhilarating him. Pluto began to push more images into the bird's mind, unspeakable acts of cruelty that he had witness, recorded or, most often, committed.

It became too much for the animaloid's mind to take. The falcon's head snapped back with enough vigor to snap his neck and shatter the top of his skull against the torture device he was strapped to. His beak was frozen in a silent scream, never to leave his mouth. Pluto took his hand of the corpse, frowning to himself. He'd been impatient, adding too many emotions at once. Usually he could make them last for at least a month before they snapped. It seemed that he needed to work on controlling his anger again. But now and again showing a quick and dramatic death spread a bit of terror among the other prisoners. Pluto flicked his tongue out, testing to see if he could taste the fear that he could feel radiating from the other prisoners.

Unsatisfied, Pluto moved over towards his favourite prisoner, on the back wall where the library and the torture chamber met. The unfortunate victim of this cross was a female fox who could have once been and was for the most part still strikingly beautiful, covered only by the shredded remains of some strange suit and a barely recognizable jacket. Her tail looked like it had been sent through a blender and her ear looked like something had chewed on it. A strange sort of metal bandage covered half of her neck, healing where part of her throat had been ripped out. The singular bit of carpet under her limp body was covered with a sheet that was probably white once, but was now the dirty red brown of dried blood mixed with sweat. She was staring at the floor, her breath rasping past the alien medical device she was wearing. The cross was also modified, with full hand and foot cuffs instead of just nails that beeped as her hands moved, restraining her. This prisoner was stronger than the others. Much stronger.

"Bored again brother," Venus spat once she could see his feet. She didn't, or rather couldn't, raise her head. Pluto examined his sister with a critical eye. The once proud and strong second failure was now little more than a puppet, a plaything to a stronger being. Still, Pluto had been putting her through some of the most rigorous tortures imaginable, both physical and his own twisted style, just about everything short of killing her. Father had given him strict boundaries when he had presented him with her. He was to drive her insane, tear her mind to shreds, abuse her as much as he liked, but he could never let her die. Father had seen a point where she would either repent her trespassing against him or be of some use, preferably if and when Mercury made another appearance. No matter the consequences to him, Mercury would never allow Venus to be harmed if he could help it. How narrow-minded! Father had been most wise, for now that time had come and having Venus as a last resort would be a valuable asset.

"What are you waiting for, you psycho?" Venus nearly yelled at him. "Can't think of anything else to do to me?" Pluto cringed irritated. Nearly fifty years he'd been picking away at his sisters resolve, yet he was no nearer to breaking her fiery spirit now than he had been when he began. Some might have found this frustrating, but such a drastic emotion wasn't even in Pluto's vocabulary. On the contrary, he was invigorated by the challenge of trying to break one with so strong a will. Never again would there be such a problem for his intellect to overcome.

Long ago Pluto had found Venus' weakest point to be thoughts of Mercury. Focusing on his own memories of his grey furred brother, Pluto touched his sister's forehead, and began the process. This time he was more direct in the thoughts he sent into her, focusing on a specific shared memory. It was one of the times Pluto had watched Venus and Mercury. Needless to say the fox had been annihilated by Mercury's skill. The match had only been practice, but Pluto warped the memory so that it seemed that Mercury was really trying to kill her, as he had so many others. There was no shortage of memories to use there.

It began well, Venus was slightly surprised by her changed surroundings, and for the instant when she first saw Mercury, his grey, emotionless eyes fixed unwaveringly on her, her resolve faltered. But before Pluto could exploit the opening it was gone, and Venus was an impenetrable barrier once more. This opening was something Pluto was going to explore further, before Venus learned to control it.

Suddenly Pluto felt an itching inside his skull. Something was happening. Even compared to his other experiments with her, Venus was sweating harder than she had been before, and her eyes were clenched shut instead of just the light close resting. She was trying something, something…

"He's alive!" The exclamation slipped from Venus' mouth before she could stop it. She was obviously referring to Mercury, Pluto reasoned. But how could she know that her beloved brother had been found. Unless…

Unless she was reading his mind!

Pluto broke the connection furiously. Venus slumped down as the energy holding her was released. Pluto's mind raced as he tried to figure out what Venus had done. She must have sent part of her conscience up along the connection he needed to transfer the images into her mind, collecting information from his own mind. She must have been preparing this for years, waiting for the moment to strike. She'd outwitted him, something he could not stand for. He was going to…no. He had to calm down before he did something regrettable and stupid.

Pluto had almost regained his composure when he heard something. It was a sound he hadn't heard in decades, certainly never in this room. It was laughter. Joyous laughter mixed with tears of happiness. Pluto glared murderously at his sister, laughing in the prison of her body, mocking him.

"He's really alive," she cried. "He's really coming back." Tears overwhelmed her and she began to choke, coughing interfering with her gleeful outbursts. But still her elation hung in the air like a fog, suffocating the malevolent jackal, intoxicating him. It was too much for him to handle.

Rage overriding common sense, Pluto pulled the scythe from his back, it's blade a menacing black, and swung it at his sister, tearing her abdomen open. Still she continued to laugh, though coughing up blood. At this Pluto completely lost it. Holding the scythe's curved blade close, he leapt at Venus and rammed the blade into her right lung. Blood sprayed over his cloak as her voice was brought to a crimson end.

"He's back," she coughed weakly before losing consciousness.

Pluto's entire body was trembling as he brought himself down from the wall, not bothering to remove his weapon from her side. To do so might make her lose too much blood before the medics arrived. Touching the red emergency button next to Venus' crucifix, Pluto sat down at his desk and immersed himself in another text. It was unseemly to lose his temper in such a manner, but that expression, that feeling of…hope…had been too strong. But now, he was going to have to extinguish the fire that fueled that hope, for the sake of his own sanity. Yes, he was going to have to kill his brother before Venus' eyes to break her spirit. And maybe, Pluto thought as the medical section of the alien race of his father flooded towards Venus' mauled body, it would work as well as it had with the success once he and Mercury had taken care of the infuriating blonde girl. But maybe that was just wishful thinking. Nothing could have gone as well as Shadow's deception. Nothing.

**Sorry this took a while. I nearly had it done a while ago, but then I got swamped with schoolwork. Hope you all enjoy. Antares out.**


	16. The Truth Begins

**Sorry (again!) for lateness, I don't really have an excuse. I'm just lazy.**

Dr Eggman was alone in his base, standing over a workbench with the pieces of his newest creation. It was a beauty, a machine shaped like a hedgehog made of pure gold. Its quills were sculpted back into an aerodynamic shape, it's eyes made as red as rubies. Sapphires studded the droid's arm guards around its villainously sharp wrists. It was a piece of art. Eggman rubbed his hands together in glee as he gazed upon his creation.

"Now, Golden Sonic!" he boomed. Despite his vast engineering skill, Eggman lacked any grammatical imagination. "Arise and serve your master!"

There was the groaning of metal under pressure and the golden robot began to sit up. Eggman clasped his hands together in anticipation, eager for success. But halfway up, the gold robot collapsed abruptly back down with a loud clang, falling to pieces in the process. His joy collapsing with the robot, Eggman slammed his fists against the workbench.

"Curse that infernal hedgehog!" he yelled to no one. "This is all his fault!" Not wishing to continue his experimentation, Eggman walked into his main control room.

Born Ivo Robotnic, Dr Eggman was one of the world's smartest men. He was also one of its craziest. Born into a greatly gifted family, Ivo had begun his life with nothing but happiness set ahead of him. He had planned to study under his grandfather, the renowned Gerald Robotnic. But then, just as he'd begun his studies aboard the space colony ARK as a young teen, something happened. Something that changed his entire perspective of life. That had been fifty-one years ago.

Since then, Eggman had disappeared from society for many years. Only recently had he reemerged, an extreme racist against animaloids, with his sights set on world domination and the 'cleansing' of all non-human species. Using his IQ of 300 he had created an army of robots and set out to conquer all before him. Only one thing had stopped him.

Sonic the Hedgehog.

The adrenaline possessed rodent had foiled his plans many a time. At first he was alone, but then other had joined him. Soon Eggman couldn't make a single move without one of another of the heroes countering him. What had begun as a nuisance had grown into a permanent migraine, something not advisable for overweight sixty-five year olds. Now he spent his days making futile attempt after attempt, none of them ever seeming to phase Sonic or his friends. People no longer trembled when they heard the name Robotnic. Now they laughed and pictured Eggman getting beaten out of yet another one of his mechanical battlesuits. To a man of his intellect, it was highly degrading.

Eggman flopped down into his throne in the center of the control room. The chair was specially designed to hold his enlarged girth. The control room, like the ones in all Eggman's bases, was a circular room lined with giant computer screens that had been 'borrowed' from many unfortunate businessmen. Each screen showed Eggman feed from his cameras and patrolling robot's optics positioned around his base, many saved blueprints of possible doomsday devices and live news feed from around the world. One screen was permanently set on a replay of Shadow smashing Sonic in the face with one of his kicks. If anyone ever asked, Eggman claimed that it was there so that he could study the move that could break Sonic's defense. But this didn't really fool anyone.

"Computer!" Eggman ordered to the voice sensitive AI that governed the base's computer network. As mentioned before, Eggman wasn't particularly inventive with his names. "Have there been any flags on the security network?"

"None, my lord," the computer said in a deep imitation of Shadow's voice. Eggman had originally had the voice set to copy Sonic's, but the hedgehog's voice had been too irritating, even when it did humble itself to him.

Eggman hadn't expected anything. History showed that it was always he who made the first move, and Sonic was always the one defending. He mostly only had the security measures as a precaution for if the Guardians of the United Nations ever decided to try and take him on their own.

"Mocking reiteration: You see? We had no intention of ensnaring you for the doctor! Personal muse: We wonder why you meatbags are so untrusting?" Eggman tried to spin his chair to face the mechanical voice that had spoken behind him, then remembered he'd made the throne's axis controllable from his armrest.

"Oh shut up you stupid robot," another, irritatingly familiar voice retorted to the first. "Just because Mercury trusts you doesn't mean I think you've changed. You just be grateful I don't knock your pluralizing head right off you shoulders!"

"Factual statement: In our last two encounters, you have only survived through the intervention of our master. We are obviously superior to you." Eggman groped with his chair's controls, trying to remember which lever turned his chair. Why did he have to make this thing so complicated?

"Why you…!"

"Enough!" three new voices shouted.  
Finally, Eggman managed to turn his chair around, and found himself face to face with his arch nemesis, Sonic the Hedgehog. "Hiya doc," the cobalt creature said in his irritating little voice. "What's up?"

"You???" Eggman fumed, his moustache bristling indignantly. "You!!! What are you doing here?!" Eggman looked around at the rest of the group that was cluttering up his hallway. There was Shadow the Hedgehog, looking bored as he always did, and Rouge the Bat, tapping her heart tipped boot impatiently. "How did you get in here?!"

"Metal showed us your secret escape route," Shadow said in a barely interested tone, jerking his thumb at the robot next to Sonic. "And led us up it in reverse." Eggman looked over his creation, noticing that its metallic blue casing smoother and shinier than it had been when Eggman had deactivated and discarded it a fortnight ago, which made no rational sense. _(Mercury had cleaned and repaired Metal quickly after their battle)_

"Metal Sonic!" Eggman boomed. "Destroy these intruders!" Metal did nothing, except tilt its head in the way that only a robot could. "Didn't you hear me? I said get rid of them!" Still Metal Sonic did not move.

"That's not going to work," Rouge said matter of factly. Eggman glared at the female agent irritably, then turned back to his creation.

"Metal Sonic! Dare you disobey your master?" This got a reaction out of it at last.

"Correction: You are no longer out master. You are not worthy of our servitude."

"Oh really?" Eggman sneered. "And who is then? Shadow? Sonic?"

"I am." Eggman rounded on the last member of the invading entourage, and nearly pissed himself. It was the creature from his nightmares, the face of his monster standing in his base, holding the sword that had destroyed his dreams. The unnaturally even grey fur and those lifeless eyes; it was as if he was twelve again.

"N...n.n.o..o," the doctor stuttered at Mercury. All the confidence and defiance had drained from his voice along with the colour in his face. Behind his tinted glasses he looked like a cornered rat. "S…stay away from me!" Mercury looked both surprised and disgusted at the same time by the doctor's reaction.

"Does he always act like this?" he asked Sonic.

"You mean the sniveling? Not usually to this extent. Actually," Sonic contemplated, "I've never seen him act quite this scared about anything. What did you do to him?"

"Nothing, that's the point! At least, nothing I know about." Once again the doctor fumbled with the controls on his throne, finding the intercom. "Activate emergency measures!" he squeaked at the computers.

"At once sir." Shadow looked up at the computers in exasperation at hearing his own voice submissive to one as lowly as Dr Eggman.

"You really are sad Eggman, you know that?" But Eggman wasn't paying attention to anything around him, his eyes rooted on Mercury. The man was hyperventilating, wheezing and sweating like a faucet that had been left on, and Mercury hadn't even done anything. It was disturbing.

"Activate emergency measures," he screeched at the computer again. Around the circular room the TV screens retracted and panel in the walls opened up to reveal Eggman's spindly humanoid drones, Machine gun arms raised and cocked. There was a shimmer of light and a shield came up around the Doctor. "Open fire!"

"Metal, activate your magnetic barriers!" Mercury ordered as he raised his hands, preparing for the mechs' attack.

"Acknowledgement: Understood Master. Activating shields now!" An aura of sky blue energy surrounded Metal Sonic. Just as he did, the droids began firing upon the group. Soon the room was filled with the smoke from the low grade firearms. From the safety of his protective bubble Eggman watched through the smoke.

"_There's no way that monster could have escaped that barrage,"_ he assured himself. _"There's no way!"_ "Cease fire!" Eggman ordered his guard robots. Automatic vents in the roof activated and the smoke cleared, revealing his mistakes.

Mercury hadn't moved from the position he'd been in before the firing started, and the rest of them didn't even look tense. Sonic was even yawning and streaching out his legs. But their confidence was not cocky, for all around them, at a steady three meter radius from Mercury, was a ring of the bullets that had been intended to kill them. "Congratulation: Your plan seems to have succeeded master," Metal said, its protective aura still surrounding it.

"Yes Metal, I believe it has. Now let's show the doctor the counterattack." Mercury dropped his hands so that they were parallel to the ground and spread his fingers. Responding to his movements, the bullets that had been captured by his magnetic field, the one that Metal had had to activate his barrier to escape, flew back into the robots that had fired them. The result was a spectacular ring of fire and twisted metal around the control room.

Ignoring his handiwork, Mercury began walking towards Dr Eggman, who began cowering to the back of his chair. "I told you to stay away," the obease man wailed pathetically. The cat ignored him, shattering the energy shield around the doctor with the back of his hand. "Get away you monster!"

"Will you shut up?!" Mercury yelled, losing his patience. Eggman squeaked like the toy his large girth made him look like. "I want you to tell me about my past, now!" Eggman looked seriously ill now, his face paler than the whites of his eyes visible round his glasses, which had slipped down his nose due to his sweating.

"I…I…"

"NOW!" His temper waning, Mercury juped onto the doctor and grabbed the man's collar.

"_That's it!"_ The sinister voice in his head said._ "Exploit his fear. Use terror to get what you need!"_

"_Calm youself!"_ The other voice ordered, something Mercury noted and disliked. _"You're going to hurt him before he tells you anything!"_

"_As long as he can still speak…"_

"_That's barbaric!"_

"_Shut up you two!"_

"Mercury! Stop it!" Mercury regained his senses, realizing that Eggman was gasping for air. "You're giving him a heart attack!" Rouge yelled. Reluctantly Mercury released the doctor and jumped off his seat.

"Now are you going to tell me what I want to know, Doctor?" Mercury said, regaining a bit of his composure.

"Where's the other one," Eggman said between gasps, seeming not to notice Mercury's question.

"Other one?"

"The jackal! The one with the glasses!" Mercury winced visibly at the description of Pluto brought up another mental picture.

"You alright?" Sonic asked. Mercury was almost surprised to hear real concern in his voice.

"I'm fine," Mercury told him. "Just some bad memories."

"Concerned inquiry: Is the master is experiencing some psychological assault?" Metal asked his master, wrist launchers already active. "

Whom do you want us to destroy?"

"No one Metal, stand down!" Mercury turned back to Eggman, who was looking at him in a strange, studying way that unnerved him. Some of the colour had even returned to his face. "Now, how do you know about Pluto? How much do you know?"

"Pluto was with you when you came aboard the A…" Eggman looked over at Shadow and stopped.

"What is it?!" the onyx hedgehog asked, though he said it in his usual threatening tone.

"I think it would be best if we talked about this in private," Eggman told Mercury.

"Why?" the grey alien asked suspicously. His confidence mysteriously returning, Eggman didn't seem trustworthy.

"Believe me, I have no intention of trying to escape or attacking you again. If you are even half as strong as I remember both would be useless. No, my intentions are selfish in a different way. I just don't want anymore of my property destroyed."

"Anything you feel like telling Mercury you can say in front of us," Sonic told Robotnic. "Isn't that right Mercury? Mercury?"

Mercury thought for a few second on what the doctor had said. What if his past contained things he didn't want his friends to find out? He had this foreboding feeling that what he was about to experience weren't going to be happy memories. But just how bad was this going to be if Eggman didn't want the others, Shadow in particular by the way he'd looked at the scarlet streaked animaloid, to hear it for fear of property destruction?

"Shadow, Rouge, Sonic, could you please wait outside the base." Sonic gave him a hurt look, and Rouge looked surprised.

"Why do you…?" Sonic started, but Shadow stopped him. He gave Mercury a knowing look, and escorted his comrades out.

"Don't take too long," he said over his shoulder before closing the door.

"Metal, can you record conversations?" Mercury asked the robot.

"Affirmation: Yes master. I am equipped with multiple recording devices, both obvious and concealed." Egglam glared at his former servant, obviously annoyed that his creation was revealing the secrets of its mechanics to his enemy.

"Good. Begin recording." There was a distinct click and Metal nodded at Mercury to signal it was ready. "Now, doctor, you may begin."

Eggman cleared his throat and wiped some of the excess sweat from his brow. "What do you want answered first, my murderous little friend?" Mercury ignored the obvious scorn in the doctor's voice.

"Do you know who I am and where I came from? That would be a good place to start."

"I don't know exactly where you came from. I know that you are Mercury, first of the Failures. What a failure is I have no idea, but there are nine of you and you refer to each other as siblings. I also know that you serve someone you call father, leading me to believe that the failures are a cult of some sort. I also know that fifty years ago you all served the Black Arms, led by the alien overlord Black Doom."

"Yes, I understand this much." Taking the scattered memories he had, Mercury had come to the conclusion that he and his 'family' had served the Black Arms, though he wasn't sure whether or not it was willing. "So I was a soldier to this Black Doom?" _"Reason enough not to let Shadow or Rouge listen to this. Who knows what would happen if GUN thought I was part of that alien race!"_

"Oh no, you were much more then just a common soldier or mercenary. You were, at the very least, part of Doom's elite!"

"What?" That pretty much shattered the whole unwilling servant angle.

"There's more! Black Doom trusted you greatly. You were a part of his inner circle, privy to his most secret plans."

"He…trusted me?" Mercury could feel part of his mindset begin to shatter. Images began flashing in his mind: him, bowing before some unseen dark creature, him, holding up a wimpering creature before the creature, him, executing the…

"Remember who you are," the voice in his head hissed. "Remember your loyalties!"

"Concerned question: Master, are you unwell?"

"I'm…fine Metal," Mercury lied through gritted teeth. "How do I know you're not lying, Eggman?"

"Judging from your reaction just now, I'm guessing that you just had a flashback, meaning my words have triggered something. But if you need more proof, then I will explain. Feel grateful that I'm so generous."

"You just feel grateful I don't rip this information from your throat, old man!" Mercury hissed. The words jumped from Mercury's throat before he could think. The voice didn't sound like his, but yet it still sounded familiar. It was as if this voice was flowing out with his memories, growing stronger with each new scene he witnessed. Doubt and fear flashed across the doctor's face, but soon was gone again.

"Mercury?"

"Forget what I just said," Mercury said. He wiped his brow as a reaction, and found himself to be excreeting some of the metallic liquid that ran through his body. "I lost control for a second."

"Very well. The reason I know all of this is that, fifty four years ago, you and Pluto came to Earth on a mission from Doom." Mercury remembered the flashback he'd had in his first days on Earth, his meeting with Jupiter about a mission to Earth with Pluto. The pieces were fitting together all too well for it to be a coincidence. "You met with a man called Gerald Robotnic aboard the space colony ARK to offer him a job to build something for Doom. A weapon to allow him to conquer Earth, built from Black Doom's own DNA." Mercury could feel a chill moving down his spine, though he couldn't pinpoint why it was there. "The project was covered by a comission from GUN to build a weapon. The project was codenamed 'Project Shadow'."

Mercury felt his innards freeze instantly. Was this real? Could he have been a part of Shadow's creation? Was it possible? Mercury could feel that it was. More images flashed through his mind: the sight of a man, similar to Eggman in the moustache and glasses region, studying plans for an artificial hedgehog. Shadow, trapped in a cryogenic pod, with something floating beside him, something black and red dressed in a tattered brown robe with talismans hanging from it. A terrible monster of nightmare only glimpsed in the darkest of torturous dreams.

"Advice: Master, we think it would be better if…"

"What else happened aboard the ARK Eggman?" Mercury was scared now, scared of his own past, of what he could have done. "What else did I do? What about Maria?"

"I get the feeling you're about to find out on your own." Mercury could see tears creeping to the rims of Eggman's eyes as he too remembered what had happened that terrible day. "You returned two years later, with order for…extermination." The abnormal animal felt a barrier in his mind break and, like water released from a collapsed dam, the memories overwhelmed him. Mercury let out one anguished scream before being pulled down into the depths of his memory.

**I'm not sure, but I think this sounds rushed. (How do I rush something that took a month?!) RnR please!**


	17. ARK Massacre

**Oh…damn! This is my longest chapter ever. It's double my usual updates, but I couldn't find a decent point to split it. I don't have time to double check 12 ½ pages of work, so please exscuse any grammar or spelling mistakes. I need an editor! Enjoy!**

_Mercury felt himself leaving the warp hole Doom had created, landing on his feet in the metal corridors of the space colony ARK, high above the planet Earth. He'd never really liked using the powers of chaos to travel trough space, it seemed to be a dangerous risks. The possibility of being trapped within the many nooks and crannies of the chaos stream was great. But he trusted his master's control of his power absolutely; there was nothing Black Doom could do wrong. He was perfection._

_Three other figures stepped out of the wormhole into the station. The first was a Black Arms elite armed with a laser rifle. The second was a Black Arms shaman. The shaman was even thinner than the elite, dressed in a tattered brown cloak that reached down to its toes and armed with a staff as long as its arm span with a strange green crystal shard at the end. Shamans were the few of Doom's spawn capable of controlling chaos energy precisely enough to perform chaos attacks and group warps. Mercury didn't really trust these armatures in Chaos Control; he'd seen too many failed warps to have faith in them. But their powers were necessary for the completion of this mission, so what could you do._

_The last one out of the warp was Pluto the Jackal, last of the failures. The scavenger was dressed in the usual skintight uniform of the Failures, along with his own cloak of shadows and tinted glasses. His scythe rested across his shoulders, making him look like the grim reaper. Oh how Mercury loathed his youngest brother. Only 1300, and yet he was now pushing his place as Father's favourite. Given his own way he'd have taken care of his brother permanently, but he was family, and family came before personal preference. That and the boy had his uses, many more than Jupiter or, regrettably, Neptune._

_As for himself, he was dressed in his usual garb of the skintight suit, metal-soled boots and hooded cloak. His long sword staff rested comfortably between his bony shoulder blades, held straight by his magnetic field_

"_Do you all understand your part in this plan?" Mercury asked the rest of the team. The Pluto lowered his head slightly in a nod, and the Black Arms soldiers made some intangible sounds meant to be affirmative. "Very well." Mercury flicked his hood up over his ears, hiding his telltale animaloid features. Pluto followed suit. "Let's find Robotnic. He should be in his lab."_

_The group walked through the empty corridors purposely. The shining walkways were lined on one side with many portholes and on the other with numerous scientific labs. The ARK was the human's space colony dedicated to scientific study. Some of their achievements were actually rather impressive, for humans that was. Mercury led the way, having been to the station twice before. They met no resistance as they wound their way through the maze of offices and testing facilities; right up until they were only a hundred meters from their destination._

"_Halt!" a human officer ordered as he stepped out from one of the many doors in front of them. "State your business." Mercury noted the insignia on his chest and the handgun and machete on his waist. This was an officer of the defense force aboard the station. How amusing. He actually thought he could stop them. The four invaders ignored the man's orders, continuing to walk towards the lab with the name 'Dr Gerald Robotnic' on the door. "Hey! I order you to stop!" The pathetic creature pulled out his gun and his radio. "Commander, come in. We have suspect invaders in the…" The officer didn't get a chance to finish his warning, because right then he was shot through his gaping mouth by the elite, killing his instantly._

_The group had kept walking, not losing stride to take care of the poor man. Mercury twitched one of his fingers and the radio in the dead man's hand flew to his. "…Captain Jones, please respond. What's your status? Who are the invaders? Captain, respond!"_

"_There are two Black Arms soldiers, Mercury and Pluto aboard the station, heading towards Dr Robotnic's laboratory," Mercury said into the receiver. "It is advisable that all the station's security force move to Gerad's lab immediately." Mercury crushed the radio once he was finished. Pluto looked over at him with his unreadable expression hidden behind his sunglasses. "It will be easier to leave no witnesses if they are all in one place." This was true, but Mercury knew that Pluto would have enjoyed hunting these creatures all over the station. Also, to hunt down all the creatures they would have to split up, and this would give Pluto the leeway to torture his victims for longer then Mercury deemed necessary._

_The group moved forwards, to the door of the lab labeled as Robotnic's. With a wave of his hand Mercury blew the door off its hinges, sending it into the room inside. The laboratory was magnificent by human standards, but nothing compared to those Mercury had seen on other planets. The room was lined with workbenches covered with diagrams and the walls had blackboards with strange formulae scrawled on them. Different tools littered the ground, from screwdrivers and scalpels to lasers and syringes. At the center of the room was a tank, too small for a human but the perfect size for an animaloid, surrounded by mechanical arms with medical and building tools. The tank was empty at the moment, but Mercury knew what the tank had been used for. It had been used in the creation of Doom's new weapon, that which he would use to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds and therefore enter Earth's atmosphere and drain the life energy. _

_Shadow the Hedgehog._

_There were a few scientific aids scuttling round the lab like rats. None of them took very much notice of the four strangers; they had all seen the two Failures and Black Arms soldiers before when they'd come to talk with Gerald about the experiment. At the back of the room, on an upraised platform looking over the tank, sat an old man. He looked exactly like Eggman: bald head covered by a pair of welding goggles, tinted glasses and oversized moustache, except that he was wearing a white lab coat instead of Eggman's red tailcoat and tights. It was Dr Gerald Robotnic, the smartest man of his age and, arguably, all ages. Like most intelligent people, Gerald was completely oblivious to his surroundings, completely engrossed in his work until Mercury was standing right next to him._

"_Gerald!" The doctor flinched at the sound of his name, dropping the pencil he'd been using on a new diagram. He turned around to face the grey cat, and turned deathly pale. Though the sight of Mercury and Pluto weren't exactly heartwarming, Gerald had seen them enough so that the sight of them wouldn't draw the skin from his face, unless, of course, he had a different reason for being afraid of them. Which he did._

"_M…Merc…cury," Gerald stuttered, adverting his eyes from Mercury's lifeless ones behind his glasses. "Wh…Why are you here? Is there something wrong with Doom?" Mercury took no notice of the frightened scientist, looking over his shoulder at the diagram he'd been working on. IT was a reformed version of the Eclipse Cannon, with changes listed to make it more precise while still retaining its power levels._

"_Interesting Gerald," Mercury said to the doctor offhandedly. Mercury had some skill in war mechanics and design. It was a hobby of sorts that his father had encouraged. He'd had a look over Gerald's work in the past, suggesting ideas he judged useful but not too confidential. "What you've done here seems to be correct this time." _

"_Well I kept in mind those changes you described to me about the cannon last time you were here," the doctor said eagerly, regaining his nerves. "How you said it could be made capable of destroying planets. Well, I've decided I'd use the piercing idea to make it easier to aim, but not increase to power quite to the extent to destroy a world. I couldn't see the point."_

"_Yes, it is a pity," Mercury sighed. He made a signal to the Black arms warlock, who nodded and raised his staff._

"_Wh…why's that my friend?" Mercury flashed Gerald a bone chilling grin as he gave the warlock another signal._

"_Well, it's just that you'll never get to test it out." Mercury almost laughed at how quickly the colour in the doctor's face disappeared again, like a fishbowl with a hole in it. He readdressed his team, pointing to the scientific aids around the room. "Kill them."_

_The warlock responded first, slamming his staff down into the ground. Around the staff's top appeared numerous spheres of chaos energy. At his unspoken command, the orbs flew at tremendous speed at the unsuspecting scientists around the laboratory, each one exploding on contact like a firework, blowing the pitiable humans to smithereens with them. The elite took out the remainder of the people in the room as they ran for cover, of which there was none against his laser rifle's beams. Less than ten seconds after the command was given, before Gerald even registered what was happening, the room was clear._

"_Why are you doing this?" Gerald cried as he realized what was happening. _

"_You betrayed Doom," Mercury said bluntly, all his emotion gone once more. "Did you expect one such as him just to take that?!"_

"_But what did I do?!"_

"_You gave Shadow a soul," Mercury said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You gave him a heart. These things are unnecessary in a weapon." Gerald looked puzzled by Mercury's accusations, though barely so since he was possessed by fear. _

"_But I never…"_

_Pluto had leapt to the left wing door while the Black Arms eradicated the room's inhabitants, sensing a greater reap of souls. As he'd predicted, the door opened and most of the GUN troops on board poured in, to be met by the black cowl and glinting scythe of the jackal. Without meaning to they all stopped, their minds frozen by the scavenger's presence._

"_What are we waiting for?" one man said from the back._

"_He's just one…he's not even a man!" another called._

"_Get moving!" an officer bellowed. "There are intruders in here! You saw what they did to Captain Julius!"_

_A few of the braver soldiers inched forward, but stopped when they saw something dripping from Pluto's muzzle. The monster was drooling. Then he looked up, his eyes still covered by the glasses, yet still the entire companies' blood froze. Then, in a split second, he was among them. The scythe came round in a deadly arc, slicing ten troops apart in a single swing. The first spray of blood splattered the walls as droplets were thrown from his scythe. Pluto dived forward, slicing high. Much of what had been the front line was beheaded, their helmets clattering on the polished floor of the station. A few of the quicker soldiers had managed to raise their weapons by now, one or two with SMGs firing off a few rounds but only succeeding in shooting their own comrades. Pluto noted these quicker opponents, targeting them for his next strike. But he didn't get the chance, because it was then that Mercury's weapon appeared. The double bladed sword flew down from the loft of Gerald's desk, spinning like a buzz saw. It cleaved through a third of the troops in the first attack, then, controlled by Mercury's power, it turned around and cleaved through another third. The elite had teleported down by now and fired his rifle into the remainder of the stunned troops at eye level, killing many more. The last of the security fell onto the pile of gore that now lay in the doorway. What had bare minutes ago been a room of study had become a __Butchery._

_Mercury smiled smugly to himself at depriving Pluto of his pleasure. The jackal looked up at his older brother and, while his face didn't show it, Mercury could sense the resentment radiating from him. Suddenly the commander from before poked his head out from around the doorframe, accompanied by another cowardly soldier. It appeared that they had hidden the moment the carnage had begun. Pluto was upon them in under a second, wrapping his fingers around their craniums with his palms on their foreheads. It took him less than a second to identify their worst memories, current events excluded, mix them with each others, apply the massacre that had just occurred, and set it upon their consciousness. The effect was amusing to the fiend Pluto was as the two grown men were reduced to screaming, bubbling infants by his powers. But the pleasure was short lived as Mercury appeared beside him, killing his two victims with a single stroke. They slumped down into the ever growing pool of blood around them._

"_We are here on business," Mercury whispered warningly to his sibling. He placed a single finger on Pluto's throat "Not for pleasure." He increased the pressure on his brother's throat, forcing him against the blood splattered wall. "Understand?" The first traces of anger reached the tips of Pluto's lips, but he nodded his head stiffly. Mercury dropped him off the wall ungracefully. "Good. Now do your job." _

_The two returned to Gerald, who was staring in horror at the bloodbath caused by the four invaders. Mercury saw another glimmer of happiness pass across Pluto's face as the mentalist felt the doctor's powerful brain begin to crack under pressure. "Stop this now Mercury!" the doctor pleaded. "You're a man of reason. Surely you can see that all this genocide is pointless!"_

"_Their lives had no point when they began," Mercury said, his tone as unemotional as his eyes. "So why does it make a difference if these lives are cut slightly short?" Gerald stared at him in horror, and Pluto grinned as another part of the doctor's mind began to implode. "But we don't have time to debate this now. My team needs to be out of here before more security forces arrive. Now where is Shadow?!"_

"_I'll never let you find him!" Gerald said defiantly. Mercury sighed outwardly. Humans were so stubborn, even humans as advanced as Robotnic._

"_It's not a question of wills doctor. You know full well that there is no secret safe from us." Mercury saw no change in Gerald's bold expression, and sighed again. "Have it your way. Pluto!" The jackal began drooling once more as he stepped towards the hapless scientist. Gerald tried to shy away, but Pluto grabbed him too quickly. The moment their flesh made contact, Gerald went completely still, breaking out in a cold sweat all over. Pluto grinned sinisterly and tightened his grip. Veins popped up on the doctor's temple. Mercury frowned. "Only retrieve the information we need Pluto, nothing more." Pluto's grin disappeared and he withdrew his hand from the doctor. The man of science collapsed instantly, unconscious. Pluto pointed towards the right of the room, towards the area Mercury knew to be the station's greenhouse. "Very good." Mercury led the way towards the door, fully prepared to carry out his master's orders._

"_Shadow! Take Maria and get to the escape pods! Mercury and Pluto are…!" Gerald was cut short of his warning from the intercom he'd had hidden below his desk by Mercury's fist._

"_Why…you…!" Mercury seethed in fury, grabbing the scruff of the doctor's lab coat.. Few things could actually reveal his anger, but being outmaneuvered was the prominent one. But even though his mouth was bent into a snarl, his eyes remained grey and merciless._

"_They'll get away now," Gerald said with a weak yet contented smile. "It doesn't matter what you do to me now." Mercury angry sneer changed to a smile so disturbing and sinister it would have turned a rock pallid. He snapped his fingers, making an ominous metallic clang that echoed through the lifeless room._

"_Pluto!" The last of the Failures stepped forward, his emotionless face staring intently at his brother. "Do what you will." No shock crossed the beast's face, but his tooth filled mouth came open of its own accords and his tongue traced across his razor sharp fangs. Already he began to move towards Gerald, hunger flowing out from him like ripples from a disturbed pool, his hand already reaching up to remove his tinted glasses. "Just make sure you don't kill him." Pluto didn't react as if he'd heard, all his attention absorbed by the task ahead of him._

_Mercury began sprinting out of the door to find Shadow before he managed to escape. He felt no twinge of regret at leaving Gerald Robotnic, a man of great inspiration, in the hands of one of the cruelest beings in existence. It was just business, a necessary sacrifice, as he told himself. Not even when the screams, amplified by the still active intercom, began to bombard his eardrums._

_The three emissaries of Doom moved quickly through the station in single file, moving through the plant study area. This part of the station was dedicated to examining chaos energy moving through plant life and calculating whether or not the energy would be able to be harnessed. Primitive, but a highly advanced for the time it had taken to be constructed. They wormed their way through the maze of corridors. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Mercury asked the warlock, who was tracking Shadow by his Chaos signature, another skill of the mysterious cult. The Black Arms member croaked something in their own language that Mercury translated as 'of course'. _

_Just as he finished, the invaders went through another automatic doorway, and their prey came into sight. A black animaloid, a crimson streaked hedgehog with gold rings on his wrists and ankles and strange hovering shoes, was leading a human girl with blonde hair, pale skin and a blue dress along the last corridor leading to the escape pods. Even with them over fifty meters away, Mercury could pick up on the instability of their steps, a sure sign of terror. This was Shadow, the Ultimate lifeform. How pathetic! Running from his opponent to protect a worthless girl. This Maria had had a bad influence on Shadow. It was no wonder that Doom wanted them to intervene._

"_Open fire on the girl," Mercury ordered. The elite did not hesitate to raise his weapon, but the warlock stopped him._

"_What if we hit Doom's son?" he asked in the alien's gruff language. He was obviously scared of what the alien overlord would do if he was angered. Mercury gave him a pitying grin._

"_Nothing someone as weak as you could do could harm the 'Ultimate Lifeform'. Now fire!" Both aliens obeyed, raising rifle and staff and unleashing a barrage of green and red energy bolts. Shadow had already noticed their pursuers, and turned as the firing began._

"_Get behind me!" he said to Maria. Before the girl could even comply, Shadow grabbed the side wall, the one not opening onto the vacuum of space, and ripped the wall out to block the corridor. The energy impacted on the new blockage an instant later, bending it backwards but failing to break it. _

"_He's getting good," Mercury said to himself, impressed. The Elite and the Warlock began to follow Shadow and Maria, but Mercury held up his hand to stop them. "I'll handle him myself. Go kill anyone left on the station." Mercury moved his hands, pointing his fingers inwards, and began levitating. Directing the metal within his body, Mercury flew down the corridor in pursuit of Shadow, dodging the obstacles in his way like a wraith. Nothing was capable of standing in his way! _

"_Get into the escape pod Maria!" Shadow said frantically to his friend. The two of them had made it to the escape pod docking bay before their pursuer managed to catch up to them. The room was at the base of the station, next to the tip of the eclipse cannon. Maria had often brought him down here to look at the planet below them, a planet that she hadn't visited for years yet loved dearly. Earth. He was going to make sure she walked on that paradise's surface once more. She was going to escape, even if he didn't._

"_But Shadow…"_

"_Go!" Shadow threw a table at the door, denting and blocking it. "Those things will be here any second!"_

"_Too late." Shadow eyes went wide. He knew that voice. Slowly, terrified like a condemned criminal, he turned to face Mercury, standing on the wrong side of an untouched door. _

"_How did you…" Shadow gaped._

"_I can liquefy my body and slip through any crack. I know these foolish Earthlings like to think they make things airtight, but that's a joke!" Shadow stepped purposely over to Maria. Mercury made no move to stop him._

"_Why are you here?" Shadow asked, glaring darkly at the grey alien._

"_Pluto and I are here to correct Gerald's mistake." Shadow continued to glare at him, clearly not understanding a work. "I don't need to explain the details to you, brother," Mercury spat the last word like a curse. Shadow's stotic stare grew even darker, if that was at all possible._

"_I am no brother of you, murderer," Shadow spat back._

"_Oh you do not know how badly I wish that was true," Mercury hissed. "But it is not my choice who my father conceives. Oh how I long for what you have, what he sees you as." Shadow felt the air grow thick as Mercury anger released waves of his power, rattling anything metallic not bolted down, and some that was. "But that is impossible. It is why I am the Failure, while you are the Success!"_

"_Fine then!" Shadow said, seething. "Take this power from me. I don't want this curse placed upon me by my birth! I don't want to fight you, or anyone else!" Mercury appeared in front of the shadowed animal like a gust of solid wind, staring the hedgehog in the eyes from an inch away. Maria jumped back, but Shadow stared the cat down, his crimson, bloodshot eyes looking into Mercury's lifeless grey holes._

"_Do not tempt me, pessimist," Mercury whispered threateningly. "Tempt me and I will attempt to, and the failure of such would mean the end of your life, and quite possibly my own."_

"_Do you doubt your abilities?" Shadow said with a snicker, not breaking eye contact. "Here I thought you were so powerful."_

"_Shadow," Maria cautioned. "Don't anger him!"_

"_Take your friend's advice," Mercury said. "She is smarter than you are!"_

"_You think I don't know that?" Shadow said with a curt laugh. "She is better than me in every way possible. And that is why I will not let you harm her!" A slight blush crossed Maria's cheeks at Shadow's compliments. Mercury sneered at Shadow gallantry._

"_Is that so? Well, I'd best give you the chance then." Mercury took a long step back from Shadow and spread his arms out, bearing his bony chest. "Knock me down with a single blow and I will let you and the maiden go free. If not…" Mercury's sword moved on his back as if it was excited._

_Shadow didn't spend a minute thinking. He knew his powers were greater than Mercury's, so surely this would be the easiest way to save Maria. The moment Mercury finished, Shadow was focusing his chaos energy. The blood streaked hedgehog held out his hand, and the energy began to crackle in his palm. Maria had her hand over her mouth, fear and surprise in her eyes. Mercury stood still, the smile still on his face. Shadow swore he would wipe that hollow grin from his features for good. The energy began to overflow the boundaries of his hand, screeching like a caged bird. Sparks flew from the center like lightning bolts from a storm. All the light in the room paled in comparison to the utterly amazing concentration of chaos energy in Shadow's hand. When Shadow felt that he couldn't contain the energy any longer, he charged towards Mercury, energy streaming behind him like a yellow ribbon. "Prepare to die, brother!" Shadow roared. He pulled his hand up and thrust the energy straight into Mercury's chest. The compressed energy dispersed through the cat and, in theory, tore him to shreds. The walls around them buckled, and the floor almost caved. Maria was knocked from her feet by the shockwave. "Chaos blade!"_

_Shadow panted hard, sweat pouring from his brow. He'd put everything he had, and probably something he didn't, into that attack. But it was worth it, if that monster was dead and Maria was safe. It was all worth it. _

_Suddenly a hand shot out from the smoke cloud in front of him and grabbed his throat, lifting him up off his feet. From within the bowels of the destruction stepped Mercury, not a scratch on his perfectly straight grey fur. The front of his suit was absolutely shredded and the worn hood and cloak around his shoulders had been thrown asunder. But he was still standing. "Too bad, brother," Mercury said with an absolutely blood-chilling smile. "Looks like I win." _

"_How did you survive my attack?!" Shadow exclaimed. "I put all my energy into that strike!"_

"_Quite simple really," Mercury said in a superior tone. "Your attack relies completely on disrupting the Chaos energy that holds together my molecular structure. Against most living and inanimate objects it is an unsurpassed technique. But no chaos runs through my veins. My molecules are held together by an unnatural magnetic field. To all the world I am dead, as the father intended. And so, your attacks can harm me no more than a wingless fly. But enough about me, it's time for me to uphold our agreement!" He raised his hand and pointed at Maria._

"_No," Shadow gasped, reaching weakly towards his beloved friend. "Maria! Run!" Maria looked around her fearfully._

"_But Shadow, I can't…"_

"_Run!" Shadow screamed. "Before he kills you!"_

"_You should have run while you had the chance, Maria," Mercury cackled. Maria looked down, and found that the metal floor had melded around her feet, trapping her. "Yours is a necessary sacrifice. Now die!" Mercury flicked his free wrist. His sword flew from his back and across the room, straight into Maria's chest, millimeters from the heart. The blade pierced vital veins and arteries, including those that supported the heart. Blood spurted outwards with enough force to knock the frail child to the ground. The strike was fatal, but not instantaneous._

_Shadow saw the strike's preparation, saw it begin, saw it pierce his friend's chest, but could do nothing to alter it's course, nothing to save her life. He had not the strength to teleport, and not the speed to break out of this alien abomination's grip in time. All he could do was scream. "Maria!" Mercury released Shadow and the young hedgehog ran to his dying friend, sobbing. "No no no no no no!" He fell across her crying his eyes out. "Maria!" The dying girl caressed Shadow's bent quills fondly, staring out at Earth through the window. "No, you can't die. You can't!"_

"_Shadow," Maria whispered hoarsely. Shadow scrambled round to face her. "Please promise me that you'll protect the Earth from whatever invaders come to harm her." Maria looked out over the blue and green globe longingly, tears in her eyes. "Promise me you'll protect her and her people. Please Shadow, give them a chance to live happily. Shadow…"_

"_I will," Shadow cried. "I will Maria!" But the girl Maria was already dead, a smile on her thin face because she had died with her best friend._

_Mercury did not move to apprehend Shadow as he cried over Maria's body; he just stood and watched. The scientist within was studying this experiment's reaction to stimulant. The tactician was wondering how this could be used in the future. The demon was cackling manically at Shadow's sorrow and Maria's pain. But as the grey feline stared at the onyx hedgehog, there was no sense of regret, no sympathy, not sorrow. That part of him was as empty as his eyes. He didn't remember how it felt to feel sadness, and he didn't miss it. Such feelings were nothing but a weakness. Look at what they had done to this idiotic young fool!_

_Shadow stopped crying and rose to face Mercury, tears staining his bloodshot eyes. His fists were clenched, ready to strike. "You!" he growled. "I'll kill you!" He ran towards Mercury in a desperate charge. Mercury didn't even bother to sigh, it was so feeble. With the back of his hand he batted Shadow away. Shadow flew like a stunned seagull and hit the wall, making crunching sounds from both his bones and the ruptured wall. Mercury walked over to his lifeless body and looked at it with disdain. _

"_You shouldn't even be allowed to live, you are so pathetic," Mercury said to the wretched animaloid. "But what I think doesn't matter compared to the will of Doom. But when he sees no use for you, I will come, and I will make sure you suffer for your shortcomings, Shadow son of Doom." Just then, Pluto entered the room, followed by the Elite and Warlock. The jackal was adjusting his hood and straightening his glasses, looking more like he'd just gotten out of bed then away from a torture session. "Is Gerald alive?" Mercury asked. Pluto nodded, a sinful grin spread across his nightmarish face. "Is he sane?" Pluto smile mega-sized as he shook his head. "Excellent!"_

_Suddenly, both failures heard a sound from the second door. The turned to face whatever had made the sound, and saw another child. It was a boy, a bit older than Maria, with minute facial hair above his lip and a slightly rotund stature, dressed in the same sort of clothes as Gerald, except that the jacket was red and had strange gold buttons. A pair of familiar tinted glasses sat askew on his nose, still showing his bright blue eyes. An innocent apprentice by the looks of him, and an admirer of Gerald. He was staring at Maria's lifeless corpse, and Shadow's unconscious form, and at the group of strangers staring back at him._

"_Wh…what are you…?" he stuttered. Before he could finish, Pluto was in front of him, grinning madly. He grabbed him roughly and held him up, excitement making the torture expert shiver. He hand flashed up to his own reflective spectacles, ready to unleash hell upon the child. But before he could the scarlet robed boy was snatched away by a tendon of metal sprouting from the floor. Pluto spun to find the culprit, and found Mercury right behind him, a malevolent grin on his thin lips._

"_The boy lives," he said, laughing quietly at Pluto's outraged look, even though it was barely noticeable to the untrained and unprepared eye. Pluto's entire body shook with anger. "Don't be greedy! You already got to break Robotnic." The boy gasped at the scientist's name. "What more do you want?"_

_All of a sudden Pluto lost his cool, grabbing his brother's head, all but frothing at the mouth, and activating his mental powers. Immediately a dark, rasping voice boomed inside Mercury's cranium. "THAT IS NOT THE FATHER'S WILL!" Mercury's body tensed in indignation and concentration. Mercury tightened his focus and created a wall inside his mind with his will, as his father had taught him to do when experiencing a mental assault. A shiver ran through the younger brother's body, originating from his contacting hand. Mercury did the same thing, and Pluto was forced to release his grip, letting out an involuntary grunt. AS he stumbled, the floor below him came to life and wrapped around him. Before he even realized he was being trapped, the metal had encased him up to his neck. Mercury stepped up to him, still shaky but anger visible in every part of him but his eyes._

"_It is my will, brother," Mercury murmured intently. He moved his fingers closer together and the bonds around Pluto tightened, constricting his air passages. "So unless you wish to call me a traitor, stand down. Understand?" Pluto stared him down defiantly for a second or two, then lowered his gaze. "Good." The metallic floor returned to its usual state, releasing its captive. Mercury walked over to the child, who was now white as a sheet and hyperventilating. "Get out of here," he hissed. "Before I kill you like I killed Maria."_

"_Y…You did this?" he whispered._

"_Yes," Mercury told him. "Do you want to join you friend?" The boy leapt up onto his unsteady legs and ran like a frightened pig, through the door and as far away from the dreadful fiends as possible. _

_Mercury walked over to his gasping brother, grabbed him roughly by the back of the neck and all but threw him over to where Shadow was slumped. "You know what you have to do, worm," he spat at Pluto. The cowled jackal nodded without looking up and placed his hand on Shadow's forehead. "Alter his memories so that he doesn't remember Doom or us. Make him believe this massacre was done by his darling humans." Mercury found this turn of events ironic. Shadow would awaken soon, thinking that his friends' deaths were all caused by those he was supposedly going to protect. Then a thought struck him. "Also," he ordered his brother, "make sure you change that girl Maria's final words." Pluto looked up at him, his gaze saying 'change it to what?' "Change it to whatever to blame the humans for what has happened. Make her tell him to take revenge upon them all!" Pluto returned his brother's sinister smile, and cackled quietly as his thoughts manifested inside his youngest brother's mind, altering that which already existed inside his memory cortex. After a second he released his grip and nodded to Mercury. The grey cat pointed to the open status capsule and Pluto obligingly threw Shadow inside. Once its cargo was safely inside, the escape pod ejected itself down to a predetermined destination on Earth's surface._

"_Have you erased the security footage?" Mercury asked the Black Arms troops. Both nodded solemnly. "Good. Then let us leave this infernal place. All these bodies are beginning to smell." The warlock raised his staff, muttering an incantation in his alien tongue. Then he yelled out a single phrase and slammed his staff into the ground. _

"_Chaos Control!" There was a flash of light, and all traces of Black Arms, Pluto and Mercury, were gone from the ARC._

Mercury screamed as his mind was wrenched from the memory. The recollection had been so deep that he had lost all traces of his own personality within that of his past. Instinctively he keeled over, clutching his stomach. He wanted to feel sick. He needed to be sickened by his own actions, his commands, what he'd done. HE felt dirty, he felt wrong, he felt like he didn't deserve to live. How could he not feel queasy after experiencing this again?! How could he have done this in the first place? It was…

"Worried question: Master, are you unwell?! We do not understand your problem?"

"There's nothing physically wrong with him, my personality confounded creation," Mercury heard Eggman assure Metal. "He's just seen once more the massacre of the ARC, and is not feeling terrible about himself if I am not mistaken."

"You are not, doctor Robotnic," Mercury said while staring at his hands. Murderer's hands. Hands stained with the blood of the innocent. Hands with the full weight of Shadow's sorrow upon them. "Now I understand why you hate me. I hate myself!"

"Warning: Master, we advise caution. This thought pattern inevitably leads to self destruction!"

"If only Metal," Mercury said solemnly. "If only." He turned back to the doctor, metallic tears in his eyes. "You were that boy in the red coat that I saved from Pluto's wrath, aren't you." Eggman nodded, his body as still as a statue. "I wish I cold say that I saved you out of the goodness of my heart, but I cannot. I stopped my brother out of spite, out of malevolent jealousy."

"I know," Eggman said quietly. "I never believed that one that could carry out such terrible acts as you did that day was capable of even a spark of true kindness."

"Why have you never told Shadow what really happened to Maria?" Eggman laughed heartlessly at Mercury's question.

"You forget, my magnetic companion, it is not simply that Shadow has been told that humans killed my cousin," he explained. "If my assumption is correct, then your brother Pluto altered his memories at their core." Mercury nodded guiltily. "His own experiences tell him what happened aboard the ARC. He would not believe that his memories were altered, and if you haven't already noticed I am not the most trustworthy of men."

"Confirmation: Yes. Dr Eggman has betrayed Sonic and his friends on seventy nine recorded occasions since our first creation, and countless times before that. HE is a lying, snide, honour less…"

"Metal."

"Reply: Yes, oh bloated meatbag?"

"Shut up."

Mercury stared at his shoes, unable to think of what to do next. How could he face Shadow, or anyone else for that matter, knowing all the pain he had caused them?

"_You emotional fool!" _the crueler of the ever present voices scolded. _"Forget what they think of you! They don't even know about it!"_

"_But he knows about it," _the other voice retorted. _"Guilt will eat away at him every time he sees those he has hurt."_

"_Then don't look at them! Run away from them. You don't need them!"_

"_But I want them," _Mercury thought. _"Their friendship means everything to me."_

"_You are beyond my help!" _The gruff voice huffed._ "Do what you will!" _That voice went silent for the moment.

"_Apologize to them," _the other voice counseled. _"That's all you can do!"_ Then it too went silent.

Mercury raised his head and looked at Eggman. For a second the old genius' face was replaced by that of the boy he had saved so long ago. Then the age and sadness returned, and Mercury saw the broken being he was now. "There is nothing I can do to change my actions now, and I have no way to repay you the debt I owe you, so all I can say is that I am sorry." Mercury hung his head in shame.

"Advice: Master, it is unwise to indebt yourself to a criminal with such a black reputation."

"Metal."

"Repetitive reply: Yes master?"

"Shut up."

"Unwilling submission: Of course, Master."

Dr Eggman stared at Mercury for a few seconds, his eyes studying Mercury's face and posture. Mercury didn't realize it, but Eggman had become an expert of reading body language over the years, and could now spot a cover emotion easily. But he saw nothing like this in Mercury; his regret and repentant spirit was real. Eggman was sure that there was no way that this was the same creature that had slaughtered his family over half a century ago. Physically he was the same, but his soul had changed, somehow.

"Very well, I accept your apology." Mercury jumped up with a start. He hadn't expected that. "Now you'd better get back to Sonic and the others, or else they're going to think I did something to you and break more of my equipment on the way in."

"But why are you doing this?"

"Let's just say I saw something in your eyes," the doctor said cryptically. He spun his chair round, signifying the end to the conversation. Mercury actually smiled at the doctor's change in opinion and began to leave, directing Metal Sonic to follow. "Oh and take good care of my creation," Eggman said as an afterthought. "I'm going to take it back someday, when I see fit."

"You keep telling yourself that Eggman," Mercury called back, and closed the door after him.

Eggman sat with his hands together, staring up at the blank walls. "Maria," he whispered. A portrait of his cousin slid out of an untouched panel in the wall. The young girl had her arm around a young Eggman, and they both had smiles as wide as their mouths could stretch. Eggman couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled that wide. He smiled as he looked at it, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Rest easy cousin," he said softly. "Your killer is repentant."

Mercury and Metal stepped out of the base. Sonic, Shadow and Rouge were waiting outside, eyeing a platoon of half completed mechs that were lying, deactivated, on a junk heap. "Eggman is such a perfectionist," Sonic said, kicking one of the droid arms.

"Be glad he is," Rouge told him. "Otherwise we'd have to deal with an army ten times their usual size."

"Heh, I could handle that on my own," Sonic bragged.

"You can't even handle half his usual armies on your own," Shadow said offhandedly, studying one of the robot's weapons.

"Take that back!" Sonic yelled. Shadow didn't look up from his study, but a sneer spread over his head.

"Sarcastic remark: Enough children. We have returned." Metal said, part of Sonic's personality seeping into his speech. Sonic scowled at his copy for a second, but was more curious than angry.

"What did old eggy tell you about your past?" the cobalt hedgehog asked. Mercury looked at him and Rouge, wonder what they would think of him if they told him the truth. He glanced over at Shadow, noting his pricked ears. Like with Eggman, he saw a Shadow without the experience and sorrow in his eyes, a contented smile on his face. Mercury was certain that he hadn't yet seen the full extent of his anger. Would he see this if he revealed what he had done?

"He told me all that he knew," Mercury said mysteriously and began to walk towards the retrieval point, followed by his obedient robot. Sonic and Rouge glanced at each other, and then followed Mercury swiftly. Shadow sighed and pursued his comrades.

"And?" Sonic persisted.

"And that's all," Mercury told him.

"Did you remember anything?" Rouge asked impatiently at being left in the dark.

"Well I…"

"Don't push him," Shadow told the others. Sonic and Rouge looked at him strangely, as Shadow usually demanded the whole truth on any matter, no matter how trivial. "If he wants to keep it to himself, let him." Mercury's mouth twitched in an unspoken thanks to Shadow, which Metal spotted and saved for later reference.

"But Shadow he…"

**BEEP BEEP BEEP!**

"What was that?" Mercury asked, looking at Rouge. The white haired bat was scrambling with her utility, trying to find the ringing item, and eventually she pulled out a small, oval shaped, black metal with a flashing red light. She looked both surprised and scared at the offending device.

"It's the general GUN alert for the Westopolis area." Shadow said, as Rouge was still staring dumbly at the object. He wasn't as shocked as Rouge, but did look slightly concerned.

"Which means?" Sonic asked, as clueless as Mercury.

"Data recollection initiated," Metal said robotically. "Collection complete. Explanation: The Guardians of the United Defense warning devices are given to every GUN member. They are set to be initiated by the leaders of each one of GUN's main strongholds in times of extreme emergencies. These situations include invasion, nuclear war, robotic assaults and alien landings."

"Could it be," Mercury muttered, remembering Mars' promise when they had last met. "We have to get back to Westopolis as quickly as possible!"

"But our lift isn't due for another hour," Rouge said. Mercury groaned.

"We don't have an hour," Mercury exasperated. "I don't even think we have minutes. We have to get there now!" Shadow stepped forward and grabbed and held up his hands, his chaos emerald in one hand.

"Very well then," he said bluntly. "Brace yourselves."

"What!" Mercury said, guessing what Shadow was going to do and not liking it. "Don't tell me you're going to…"

"Chaos Control!"

**Before anyone tells me this, yes I know this isn't the official version of Maria's death. It is fan fiction (hence the reason I posted it on ). End of the 'Eggman' arc, and a new twist. Hope you all enjoy, it nearly killed me. Antares out!**


	18. A Deathly Development

**I deserve to be yelled at for how long I spent on this. Sorry people, I had a massive commitment which took up all my time (sound familiar Solis?), and after that I had to catch up on my schoolwork. I would say the next update will be quicker, but I have tests coming up, then I'm going on holiday and…**

**Anyway, enough excuses. Enjoy! Antares out!**

_Pain._

_That was all he could feel. His body felt like it was being dipped in a pot of boiling magma, incinerated beyond restoration. But that was just an external feeling. Inside his mind there was the euphoria of screams, drowning out all other feelings. He couldn't feel his hands, nor his legs, nor even his tail beyond the searing pain of what was like a rain of needles. His mind felt like it was stuck in a ring of a thousand stereos with amps turned up to the max, all echoing different people's dying screams. Their terror, fear, pleading, hopelessness, fury, all felt like they were directed straight at his heart. It was beyond coping. The flitting reflection of how, in his memories, he had walked out of Shadow's Chaos Blade unharmed was a bleak contrast to this agony he was feeling now before everything went blank._

_Mercury found himself face down in wet sand, silicon clogging his nose and mouth. He pushed himself up, coughing out the sand, and found himself facing a frozen blue sun setting over a green sea. The beach he had been dumped on was in a sheltered bay with rocky outcrops pointing out to into the horizon. Mercury found himself admiring the beautiful sight of the sapphire and emerald combination, without instinctively looking around his surroundings._

"_Beautiful, isn't it?" A familiar voice beside him said. Mercury looked round, not nearly as quickly as he would have usually. Something about the scenery seemed to calm his usually edgy nerves. To his right he saw a female Echidna in a simple white, knee length dress. Her quills, reaching all the way around her head, were a vibrant, light-filled olive colour and reached down her back as far as her dress went, held off her forehead by a silver circlet with a diamond embedded at the front. Her eyes were covered by two quills that hung beside her face, framing it in green and hiding it from view. She was facing the blue star as it constantly radiated its alien rays, her body seeming to absorb the light and be illuminated with it._

"_Where am I?" Mercury asked, finding his voice disturbingly calm to his own ears._

"_This is a captured picture from within your memories." Mercury looked back out over the ocean, the magical sight calming his curious spirit, until the voice finally registered in his sluggish mind. The Echidna's voice was one of the voices in his head!_

"_Who are you?" Mercury asked, still too slowly for his liking._

"_She is the cause of all your problems," the other voice from his head said, only it wasn't in his head, it was to his left. Mercury turned, seeing a figure draped in a black cloak that pooled in excess on the sand. All the light radiating from the unmoving star seemed to pass him by, like it didn't realize his existence. A hood hid his face completely and his clothes enveloped all else. His voice was husky, almost dead. He too was facing away from Mercury, looking out at the horizon, almost as if he was trying to see beyond it._

"_I am nothing but a counsel for your conscience," the echidna retorted, although it sounded like it was directed at Mercury._

"_A conscience is nothing but a weakness." The dark figure said blatantly. "It opens one up to defeat."_

"_Only when utter detachment from reality is success."_

"_Oh that's rich coming from you," the dark one said sarcastically. "You're preaching about reality, something you've never truly experienced."_

"_At least I…"_

"_Enough!" Mercury yelled. It was freaky, watching the two people argue without moving their heads or seeing their faces. "One of you explain what's going on, now!" Both figures sighed very overdramatically._

"_Your mind shut down in response to being thrown through the Chaos stream when Shadow used Chaos Control," The echidna explained. Mercury nodded. That had been the source of the pain he'd felt before. "As such, you conscience was dumped here while your body recalibrates itself."_

"_OK." Mercury went silent for a second as he was captured once more by the beautiful sunset. "Why?"_

"_He's still not very clear, is he?" the echidna said, dry humor evident in her tone. The dark figure grunted at her. Mercury was about to repeat his question, when the echidna continued. "You're no doubt wondering why Chaos makes you feel this pain. Am I right?" Mercury nodded. The olive echidna raised one of her hands and waved it across the view they had. "When you remember this place, you will understand." Mercury looked at the echidna darkly from bellow lowered eyebrows. "I can't tell you all the answers, can I?"_

"_It would help," the grey cat grunted. In the corners of his vision, Mercury noticed that the rock faces on either side were beginning to lose the sharpness of reality, fading away. As it did, Mercury felt some of his usual control over his emotions begin to resurface._

"_She never really helps with anything," the shadowed figure on his left said. "She just sort of vaguely points in the wrong direction."_

"_Ignore him, if you want to remain how you are," the white dressed echidna said. "He will lead you back to what you once were."_

"_I will give you the power you need to do what is necessary." The rocks on either side were now nothing more than blurs of grey and the sand was more like mud. All that now remained constant was the strange sapphire sun, frozen in twilight._

"_But I don't want that power again," Mercury said. "I never want to do what I did aboard the ARK to anyone. If that is what having your power means, I don't want it."_

"_Oh really?" Mercury heard him scoff. "Without that power, how are you going to protect your friends from your own family?" By now, Mercury's senses were at about 75% of their usual alertness, which was still enough for the comment to send his metallic blood cold._

"_What do you mean?!" All that remained of the strange world now was the sun and the three figures, floating in a sea of darkness. "What's Jupiter and the others going to do to my friends?!"_

"'_We're going to teach you that there is nothing to be gained through friendship with any others," Mercury could hear the smirk in his tone. "I'd suggest you protect your lady friend."_

"_Cassie," Mercury whispered, his fingers knotted into hardened fists. "What are you going to do to her?!" He tried to get up, but some strange force held him down. The dark figure laughed as he began to fade._

"_I'm sure you'll find out."_

"_Be careful!" The white dressed echidna said before she too disappeared. Mercury took one last look at the blue sun, alone in the darkness, cursed fate for having dumped him with two cryptic nut bags in his head, and faded back into reality._

Mercury gasped as his mind was returned control of his body. He sat up quickly, and found that he'd been laid on the tarmac of a road. He looked around him and saw that he was in one of the main streets of Westopolis, in the middle of a busy sidewalk. People were walking around him, too involved in their own lives to see him as anything more than an unusual blockage in their way. Mercury got up, surprised and a little shocked. When the message had come in to Shadow and Rouge, he'd expected that the city would be under an invasion from the other Failures, but it seemed that the city was completely normal, which was to say it was economical chaos.

"Finally awake, are you?" Sonic said. The cobalt hedgehog was sitting on a parking toll booth, his feet resting on Metal Sonic's head, the latter of which was looking about as annoyed as a robot could. "Have a nice nap, sleeping beauty?"

"Order: Do not patronize our master!"

"Ah shut up you tin can!"

"Clarification: We are not made of tin, you idiotic meatbag! We are made from hybrid metal made from titanium and…"

"Which part of shut up do your audio receptors not understand?!"

"You two haven't changed since I fell asleep," Mercury said, his problems momentarily forgotten.

"I wouldn't say that," Sonic grunted, rolling his arm. "I'm sure that going through the Chaos stream changed something inside of me."  
"Reiteration: We have already specified that our scans showed no change in your natural, yet flawed, bodily makeup."

"It's not a physical thing, you bucket of bolts! It just a feeling I have. You soulless machine would never understand!" Metal didn't reply, and the robot looked away. Mercury was slightly puzzled by this very organic reaction, but said nothing. Other things were on his mind.

"Where are Shadow and Rouge?" he asked both of them.

"Those two went off to find Captain Tange and ask him what the alert was all about. They told me to wait here with metal head for you to wake up."

"Query: Where shall we depart to now master?"

"Err…" Mercury said, puzzled. His mind was still slightly fuzzy from the Chaos control detour.

"Whatever," Sonic said, putting his hands behind his head. "I'm going back to Tails' lab. Cassie's probably there too."

"Cassie," Mercury muttered, thinking hard. There was something he had to do, something deathly important. Suddenly it came to him, and he felt everything in his body stop. Both Sonics noticed his change in attitude, the quivering of his limbs being a dead giveaway.

"Unsure question: What is it Master?"

"Yeah, what's up Merc?" Without answering either of them, Mercury began to run towards Downtown, pushing people out of the way all the way along before he began to take off. Sonic and Metal began to pursue him earnestly, pushing their abilities to catch up. "Hey! What's the rush man?!"

"We have to get to Cassie now!" Mercury said without slowing.

"Rushed inquiry: Why?"

"Something's coming for her. Something bad."

"How do you know that? You've been out for nearly half and hour."

"I just do!" Neither of the blue creatures decided to take it any further. They just followed him. If Mercury had gone mad, they'd rather not be on the receiving end.

"Slow down Shadow!" Rouge wined, beating her wings hard to keep up with her hedgehog partner. Shadow had insisted on taking the freeway to the GUN base, because it was the most direct. He'd conveniently forgotten that all the speeding cars (Westopolis had very 'lenient' speed limits) also meant she would be unable to run, and would have to use her wings. All the way.

"Get moving!" Shadow yelled from five cars ahead. "Who knows why Tange need us?"

"I'm tired! There are, like, fifty other agents he can use if we're not there." Shadow had already doubled back to her, annoyance filling his crimson eyes.

"You don't honestly believe that?" he scoffed. "If so, something's getting at your usual ego." Rouge pouted with fake anger, though she knew the comment was true. She was a bit cocky at times, but it was all backed up with pure skill.

"Fine! If you want us to get there so fast," she held up her hand, "carry me." Shadow gave her one look, one eyebrow raised in a skeptic look, then grabbed the offered arm and began skating again, pulling her along behind him. Rouge was caught off guard; she'd been joking about the whole lift thing, and so was flying once more like a flag behind a Formulae one racer.

"Shadow, wait! I wasn't serious! Stop!" Rouge squealed as they weaved through the traffic, Shadow's shoes causing sparks to fly as they scraped away at the paint on cars they passed. Angry middle class workers yelled after the speeding duo. Rouge found herself actually enjoying herself, even though Shadow was displaying absolutely no consideration for her safely. He was an indestructible daredevil who couldn't understand the morality of other through his invulnerability. How could he see the dangers of the world through her eyes?

"Hold on!" Rouge looked up again as Shadow tugged on her arm. With superb finesse he pulled her towards him and caught her in his arms with a flick of his wrist and a bend of his elbow. He was now carrying him bridal style over the roofs of the cars, causing even more uproar behind them. "Feeling better now?" Shadow asked in his usual tone without looking away from the road.

"Uh, yeah," Rouge stuttered, glad that Shadow wasn't looking at face. Although they looked the same, she could feel that Shadow had a lot more muscle tone than Sonic did hidden under his onyx fur. And now, in her current position, the tuft of fluffy white fur on his chest was nuzzled into her nose, tickling her. Rouge put her arms around Shadow's waist, deciding to take every benefit of this opportunity to be close to her antisocial comrade.

_**Crunch!**_

Shadow was thrown from his feet by a sudden impact from an unseen force on the uplifted road. The cars that were right in their path were crushed instantly by the force, killing all occupants. The very road itself began to collapse from the force of whatever had hit it. Rouge involuntarily screamed and clutched Shadow's waist harder, digging her nails into his abdomen through her gloves. Shadow flipped to stabilize himself, much to Rouge's displeasure, and landed safely on his feet. He dislodged Rouge's fingers from his skin and placed her on her feet. "You OK?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said quietly, her mind still reeling for a few seconds. But when it stopped she wasn't happy. "You dope! Did you have to do that stupid flip?! You nearly crushed my fingers in your abs!"

"Hey! I was improvising!" Shadow yelled back. "What do you expect, a perfect landing?!" People were starting to get out of their car to gawk at the destruction in front of them, or to watch the two GUN agents have it out. A few started throwing stuff at them, thinking the broken road was there faults. "Hey!" Shadow yelled at them. "For once this isn't my fault!" Behind them there was an unusual whistle. Shadow half turned before he was buffeted of his feet by another wall of force.

"Shadow!" Rouge yelled, before she too was thrown off her feet. She tried to outstretch her wings, but whatever force was pushing against her kept them folded in, and she landed hard on her back, followed by everything that had been ten meters behind her. Shadow, she noticed, landed faultlessly on his feet on top of one of the cars that had been thrown, glaring in the direction he calculated the unseen blast to have originated from. Rouge followed his gaze, and saw a monster. Standing on a building, over three hundred meters away, was a ghostly white giant. It was unclear from this distance what gender or species it was, but the creature stood at least 2.5 meters high, and looked like a washed-out white tank. Rouge squinted and saw the creature raise its hand. Her powerful ears picked up a rising whistle, just like before, and both Shadow and Rouge dived to either side of the street as another explosion of unseen power ripped down the center of the road, throwing everything aside in its path.

Rouge rolled out of her dive, looking towards her partner. Shadow had mirrored her movement and looked up at her, a confident sneer on his lips. The expression was wiped off his face an instant later as the white behemoth appeared from nothing and struck his cheekbone like a wrecking ball. There was a bone shattering crunch and Shadow went flying into the wreckage of the road. "Shadow?!" Rouge turned instinctively to check her partner's status, and felt something moving unnaturally fast into her stomach before she could even glimpse Shadow's position. Her own aerodynamic body quickly met her partner's in ruins of the highway. The white hulk looked at the pair with its head tilted, almost curious. Although its gender was still undetectable, it was clear that the pale monster was a species of bat, with wings and ears similar to Rouge's except twice as large. Also, the white was not its fur colour, but some sort of suit, similar to the one Mercury had been wearing except that it was white and covered every inch of the attacker's body. Even the eyes were hidden behind a thick layering of bleached material and the mouth was held shut. Its chest was very unusual. It protruded out of the body like breast, but it did so in strange patterns, like the top of a cauliflower. It was seriously strange.

Shadow grunted as he pushed a barely conscious Rouge off him. He glared spitefully at the white colossus, who still stared unnervingly at the two of them. "What are you doing here?" Shadow asked, wiping blood from his mouth. There was no answer; the creature just tilted its head to the other side. Shadow grinned to cover up his anger. This just wasn't his day. "Fine, have it your way." Shadow snapped his fingers, warping behind the giant and sending a kick at its head. The bat's massive forearm was already in place to block the kick. Shadow smiled with genuine joy as he twisted round in the air to deliver a second kick, his mind already racing with his next set of moves. Whoever this person was, they were going to give him a good fight.

Mercury barreled through the streets like something possessed, blowing anything in his way away like tenpins. Sonic and Metal followed at his heels, bewildered by the alien feline's actions, the robot apologizing for his master's irrational actions to frightened and sunned bystanders as they passed by. With this approach, Mercury managed to reach Tails' lab within ten minutes. Immediately he began pounding on the door. "Cassie!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Tails! Ienzo! For Chaos' sake, let me in!" Sonic and Metal caught up to him, pulling him off the door with more synchronization than either would like to admit.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Sonic asked huffily. "Break the door?"

"Troubled query: Master, your actions are irrational and pointless. We would advise that you desist from such senseless actions!"

"You don't understand! He's in there!" Both Sonics looked confused, glanced at each other, snarled (or beeped angrily) and yelled at Mercury in unison.

"WHO?!"

"Someone I must stop!" Mercury broke Sonic's shocked grip, palming him in the chest and throwing him backwards. With a flick of his finger, he sent Metal flying with his magnetic powers. Desperate now, Mercury walked up to the door and simply sent it flying over his shoulder. The room inside looked like Sonic had been running in circles within it with no more care for his surrounding than a blind rhino. The furniture had been upturned, all the papers and diagrams that had been resting on them scattered like so many falling leaves. Gadgets, both finished and in progress, lay broken against the walls, walls that were burned, dented and fissured with cracks. But these were but material things, things that barely caught Mercury's attention. It was the sentient beings that held his gaze.

Tails and Ienzo both lay unmoving on the ground, blood beginning to pool around then from slashes and punctures in their torsos. Evidence of their attempts to protect themselves was in the busted laser ball cannon next to Tails and the shattered surgical equipment around Ienzo. Another figure stood near the door into the living quarters, their blackened clothes blocking all light from the next room. Their presence, even without any sort of contact, seemed to lower the temperature in the room. Confidence and terror both exuded from him like the smell from expired food. Mercury immediately drew his sword and said coldly to the figure, "Turn around and face me you coward!"

The figure's shoulders' moved up and down, as if they were laughing or sobbing. They half turned and flung a tarnished gold and red object at Mercury. The feline moved quickly and caught the bundle without impaling it. He looked down at what he had caught, and roared. Cassie was stone cold, her pretty face frozen into a silent scream of terror. Her eyes were focused unwaveringly on some unseen atrocity that haunted her nightmares. She was breathing, but only just, the inhalations a harsh rasp through clenched teeth.

Sonic and Metal rushed in, the animal staring in horror at what had happened in his best friend's house, the robot copy unfazed. "Tails," Sonic yelled, running over to the young kitsune. He stretched down his hand, as if to pick up the one he loved like a brother, but thought that could do more harm than good. His limbs were shaking with rage as his shoes touched the puddle of blood beside his unconscious friend. "What happened here?!" Sonic seethed, switching his gaze to Cassie's rigid form in Mercury's hands. Mercury looked at the cobalt hedgehog, and saw a fire in his eyes he hadn't witnessed before. It was as if a shadow had passed over the heroes' entire body, making his fur a deep indigo, except for his eyes which blazed like flares. "Who is responsible for this?!" Mercury placed Cassie on the ground with as much reverence as he could muster through his peaking temper, then pointed at the black clad figure, now adjusting his sunglasses with his free hand, while the other grasped his blood-soaked scythe.

"Him," Mercury hissed, his dead grey eyes fixated upon the smiling monster. "Pluto the Jackal. Last of the failures. My bastard Brother!"


	19. Insanity's Path

**Guess whose back? Yes, after 6 months of silence I have finally updated. I have a range of excuses which are absolutely pointless that I will not list here. To anyone who is still reading this, I apologize. Updates will become regular again after my exams finish in two weeks. Until then, enjoy.**

**Note: Chapter has a bit of gore. You have been warned.**

_An hour earlier._

_Pluto nodded to his sister and her squad as he moved away. The two had been dropped off in the place where Mars had been when he fought Mercury. A city called Westopolis. According to the army's records, most of it had been leveled during the Black Arms' last invasion. Pluto was quite glad the rulers of this pathetic planet had rebuilt it, badly. All around him he saw misery and poverty. Two truly unmatchable sights. Though he'd tried many times, he'd come to the conclusion that you can't replicate real poverty, and to create misery without physical pain was quite impressive. When he came to places like this, he almost felt that his appetite for suffering was satisfied._

_Almost._

_Given his own way, Pluto would have used a day in this city studying what caused this sort of infectious sadness. Then, once he deemed that he had recorded all that he could from the natural pain of these people, he would probably capture some of the most miserable yet physically faultless subjects and take them back to his quarters to use for new torture studies. There were a few new techniques that he had in mind for use on these species of animaloid. But, unfortunately, he was here with a specified purpose. To locate and incapacitate Mercury, the firstborn of the failures._

_A few of the passersby gave the jackal strange looks. Pluto didn't find this unusual. Even in the most barbaric and dark of societies, carrying around a scythe and wearing a full black cloak and impenetrable sunglasses was the sign of an unstable individual. One teenaged hawk muttered something about the Grim Reaper under his breath. Pluto remembered this supernatural being from one of his texts. The spirit was the hand of death, claiming the souls of those whose lives had expired. With souls that attempted to escape death, it was supposed that the entity had a cruel sense of humor as to how it clamed its victims, torturing them with slow, painful and unusual fates. It's most common form was that of a floating, tattered black cloak with skeletal hands wielding a scythe. The last of the failures had to admit that the resemblance was uncanny. He hoped to meet this Reaper some day, and show them exactly who the true master of death was. _

_Pluto frowned slightly as he passed between two dirty hedgehogs with missing legs begging passers by. This bickering between siblings was illogical. Although Pluto knew his older brother hadn't liked him, he had analyzed the cat persona deeply over his life. Mercury was a cold, clear, merciless individual, a robot beyond the point that he himself was. In Pluto's opinion, it should be Mercury leading the army, not that egotistical fool Jupiter. From his observations, Pluto concluded that many others agreed with him, even within the ranks of the failures. But Mercury was a traitor, Pluto reminded himself, and that made him illegitimate. It was a pity, but it was impossible to change now. Pluto tore his mind away from the matter and continued observing the beautiful torment of those around him._

_It did not take Pluto long to discern his brother's current residence. Questions about Mercury were alive in almost every mind he touched. Questions about the identity of the unusual grey feline that had appeared all but overnight, caused havoc for the local law enforcement, particularly the local heroes, then, apparently, changed sides. He had almost become old news when, a few days earlier, a wolf wielding a massive sword had attacked him. The two had torn apart a good section of the town in their duel. Pluto sighed at his family's tendency to pointless violence. Had he been sent first, he would have eliminated his target somewhere where there wouldn't have been so much commotion, instead of failing in plain sight and putting the whole city on high alert. Not that it made much difference to the Black Arm's plans. The devastation of this planet for its insolence would be absolute, no matter the resistance._

_A few people were wondering about the identity of this new hero (Pluto scoffed at the use, or rather misuse, of the word to describe the Failure). Some thought he was an experiment made by the government that had been mistakenly activated. Some though he was a spirit of the earth, awakened to protect the earth from some ancient, eternal evil that would soon awaken as well. A few people of questionable sanity though he might have come from the future in an attempt to prevent some terrible catastrophe that would bring around the end of the world. One lone raccoon on the sidewalk, no doubt homeless from the state of his clothes, was preaching to everyone that would listen that Mercury's arrival was a sign that aliens were about to invade again. One glace into his mind revealed that the fool in fact had no idea how close he was to the truth. Pluto touched him as he passed, crushing what little was left of his mind anyway. No sense in leaving any loose ends._

_After a bit of deeper probing into the public, Pluto discovered that his brother was staying with a child called Tails, an orange kitsune freak with two tailed, at his lab in downtown Westopolis. A final search into one of the more intelligent of the city's inhabitants' brain provided him with directions to the workshop. Simple. He began moving towards the target._

_The building was painfully obvious, as it was the only house not run down or damaged in the area, although it was nowhere near clean. Pluto contemplated how he should enter. If Mercury was inside, then he was going to need to take him by surprise and gain as much advantage over him in the first seconds. Ideally he would need to immobilize him with his own powers before Mercury could start using his. If Mercury caught him, it would be all over. A mind probe was risky, as all the Failures were quite adept in detecting mental scans. It had been a vital part of all their training. But in the end Pluto decided he had to risk it. He needed to plot his movements down to the millisecond; otherwise his life would be forfeit. Pluto exhaled, and sent out his conscience. Seconds later his face spread into a wicked grin, his pointed teeth gleaming like daggers._

_Tails was sitting at his workbench, tinkering with one of his new projects, when there was a knock on the door. He glanced up quickly at Ienzo, seated at a similar bench on the opposite side of the room, but the raven made no sign that he was moving. Tails sighed and went back to his work. There was silence for a few seconds. Then a knocking again, in the same tone and speed as the first._

"_You going to get that?" Ienzo asked without raising his head. Tails twitched in irritation, but didn't rise. "It'll be one of your people coming to mooch more stuff off us."_

"_Ten bucks says it's not," Tails said, smiling to himself. Well, it'd worked once before. His silent chuckle was interrupted as Ienzo threw a screwdriver in his general direction. The throw went wide, but made a mighty clang that made Tails flinch._

"_I'm not that dumb you know!" Ienzo said, his face red and flustered. Ienzo was very sensitive about someone using the same trick on him twice. He saw it as an insult to his intelligence._

"_Wanna bet?" Tails countered. Ienzo glared knives at him and made a menacing sound in the back of his throat. Whoever was at the door knocked again, still not seeming impatient. That pretty much proved it wasn't anyone they knew, but neither fox nor bird was paying enough attention to notice._

"_Hey!" Cassie yelled from the other room, where she was slouched on the couch watching TV. "Either of you going to get that?"_

"_Shut up moocher!" They both yelled at her. They'd taken to calling her that ever since they'd gone out and found that she'd emptied their entire, newly restocked refrigerator. In one meal. By herself. For the next 72 hours the two kid geniuses had went non stop trying to figure out how she'd managed it, settling on the conclusion that she was a hutt in disguise._

"_Look," she said, exasperation evident in her tone, "I know you're both peeved about being left behind and worried about the others. I am too. But that's no reason to take it out on me!" The two looked at each other, and sighed. Cassie was right, and they both knew it. Without saying a word, Tails got up from his chair and went to get the door. "And don't take it out on whatever poor souls at the door either," she added. Tails twitched again. The fleeting moment of peace gone, Tails opened the door._

"_Yes, what do you want," he said angrily. Then he took in what was in front of him. A wild dog of some description, a jackal, clothed in a skintight black suit, a black cloak complete with hood and dark sunglasses. On his back was a scythe, it's blade as black and hideous as the rest of his getup. The animaloid's head was cocked to one side and, although he couldn't see his eyes, Tails got the feeling it was studying him. He raised his eyebrow skeptically, his usual happy personality missing due to worrying about his friends. "Bit early for Halloween, isn't it? What are you, Death?" The figure made no sign of hearing the comments, and casually began drawing his scythe off his back. Instinctively, Tails drew away from the weapon. "What the hell are you…?"_

"_Hey Tails?" Ienzo called from inside. "Is there a problem?" Tails could hear a hint of concern in his voice._

"_No, just some weirdo with a…" His voice trailed off as he stared at the suit. Black. Unknown material. Skintight with no arms. Exactly the same as Mercury's had been when they found him. It clicked. Tails tried to slam the door, but the stranger's scythe came down and blocked. "Ienzo__" Tails screamed "Get Cassandra out of here! It's…!" He was cut short as Pluto rammed the butt of his scythe into his pictorials. All the air and a bit of blood left Tails body, and he crumpled. Pluto grabbed him in a headlock, his mouth right next to Tails' ear, and lifted him off the ground. His breath rasped, like a man on life support, sending chills through Tails' fur. How wrong had he been before when he'd called this guy Death? Desperately, Tails' reached for his watch, a device loaded with new gadgets. Pluto's tongue flicked out in anticipation, tickling Tails' ear. His grip tightened further round his throat, cutting off the last of his air. His other hand reached across slowly, tauntingly so, to the other side of his head, ready to break his neck. "No…you…don't!" Tails managed to choke out, and hit the face of his watch. An electrical shock went through Tails, then transferred to Pluto as it went towards the ground. The jackal grunted and loosened his grip, just slightly. Tails followed the shock with two elbows, one to Pluto's chest and the other to his windpipe. Pluto's grip continued to loosen, but refused to let go._

"_Tails!" Ienzo yelled as he came through the door. He had some of their gadgets bundled in his arms. "Duck!" From the pile of weapons, Ienzo drew Tails' energy cannon. Tails complied quickly. Pluto, apparently dazed, wasn't so lucky. The ball of yellow energy hit him full in the face, snapping his head back with a sickening crack. He stumbled back, dropping the hapless kitsune, and fell on his back. Ienzo rushed over to his gasping friend, dropping most of his weapons in the process. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" he said with a grin. Tails looked up with his usual beaming smile. Then his face fell like a ten tonne block of lead. _

_Pluto was fast, but Tails was just faster. Years of training with Sonic had left their mark in the fox's exceptional reflexes. In the time it took for Pluto to bring his scythe down, Tails managed to jump between the last Failure and his friend and activate the laser claws on his watch to block the lethal blow. Sparks flew as the two blades met, neither going to break. Ienzo stared in shock at Pluto, managing only a squawky "h…how?"_

"_He's a failure," Tails said. "He's a freaken fighting beast, like Mercury!" Though Pluto made no physical sign, his anger at the sound of his brother's name radiated like a wave. Both scientists winced slightly from the strike on their brains. Pluto pushed this weakness, breaking Tails' guard and swinging at the two. Only barely did they manage to jump out of the way, back towards the labs. Now Pluto was between them and the pile of gizmos Ienzo had brought in. "Well this is brilliant," Tails muttered sarcastically._

_Ienzo didn't get the chance to retort, as Pluto charged them. His scythe was like a whirlwind, spinning around him with a mind of its own. It took all of Tails' concentration simply to see where the first strike came from, and his block was barely solid enough to stop a child's swing. Luckily, the blow was light, meant to draw him out. Instantly after it touched Tails' watch, Pluto pulled it back and, switching hands, swung the scythe the other way. This time the fox wasn't able to take the entire blow, and was forced to duck under the swing. With his tails he pushed the raven back out of the way. Ienzo was all but frozen in fear._

"_Ienzo!" Tails yelled, dodging another deadly swing. "Use the energy cannon again!" Ienzo looked down, realizing for the first time that he was still holding Tails' favourite weapon. He looked up again. Pluto had forced them into the narrow corridor that led back to the lab. This looked like a major tactical flaw. Not only did this limit the reach and affectivity of his scythe, but it also meant that, if charged to a powerful enough level, the energy cannon would be unavoidable. The raven smiled smugly, despite his situation, and began charging the shot._

_The jackal was still forcing them back, but his pace had quickened. He was trying to get them to the door before the cannon was ready. However, in doing this he managed only to make it easier for Tails to block the attack, and through that make their retreat slower. Ienzo tapped the barrel of the weapon as the battery gauge filled painfully slowly. 'Come on!' he thought, eying Tails nervously. The kitsune was keeping up with their intruder, but he was visibly showing signs of slowing. Although his legs and tails were well trained from following Sonic, his arms were not nearly as fit. Finally, the weapon gave a competed beep. "Take this, you bastard!" he yelled and fired._

_Tails jumped quickly behind the blast and Pluto's final strike buried his scythe in the wall. But the last of the Failures was well prepared for the cannon this time. As the yellow electrical blast came towards him, he used his already stuck weapon to his advantage. Using the deadly implement as leverage, he ripped a layer of cheap metal plating across the corridor as a shield. Although cheap, the material was durable enough, and the energy cannon was meant to incapacitate living targets, not melt through metal. Even fully charged, the blast did not make it beyond the sheet. Now Pluto sprung his trap._

_With one solid kick he knocked out the weakened section of his makeshift shield and, with unnatural speed, was upon the two stunned scientists. Tails had managed to take his cannon of Ienzo, but it didn't do him any good. The first slash wasn't deep, but it was long, reaching from his shoulder to his hip, and caused Tails to stumble back. Blood poured from the wound, matting his white chest fur. Using the same momentum, Pluto drove the butt of the scythe into Ienzo's abdomen as he charged in, scalpels and knives drawn from within his coat. The bird fell to his knees, the astonished look on his face causing his scar to distort in a strange pattern. In the space of five seconds, this enemy had gone from being struggling and stressed to completely calm and had managed to turn the tables on him and Tails. How?_

_The two earthlings rose shakily to their feet. Pluto waited for them, his body posture one of boredom. He leaned on his scythe, appearing more like he was waiting in line than in a fight. Ienzo's temper flared. This…cocky dog was mocking them. Tails was looking a bit calmer, but pain was driving his usual rational side out. Without so much as a signal they both charged him, drawing all their weapons to strike down this intruder._

_Pluto barely even seemed to take any notice of them. Lazily, he threw his scythe up in the air, flicking his fingers right before he released to make it spin like a helicopter's rotors. Ignoring them only enraged Tails and Ienzo further, allowing their anger to take even more control. Still Pluto showed no signs of resistance. Not until the very last second did he act. As scalpels and energy blade came within a few centimeters of his torso his hands snapped down over their wrists._

_The moment their flesh touched, Tails felt a combination of pain and terror rush through him. Pain because of the sudden amount of information that came flowing into his brain. This alone almost caused his central nervous system to shut down. But the terror came from the little of the information he managed to comprehend. It was horrible. Death, destruction, torture, mauling, maiming, all of it meaningless. And the screams, always the screams. It was impossible for a mind like his, sheltered and innocent, to understand. All of the information was combined with a sense of amusement from the host. A small amount of brain cells that resisted the terrible onslaught were revolted that someone could enjoy such atrocities, but the rest of his brain was screaming so loud at the data overload that they were drowned out._

_Such was the mental strain Tails experienced that he failed to register that Pluto had redirected his attack. Nor did he attempt to dodge, or even notice, as Pluto caught his scythe once more and brought it round in a lethal arc at his back. The last thing he managed to think was: 'He was toying with us. We never stood a chance.' By the time he fell to the floor, maimed and hemorrhaging, he was, mercifully, unconscious._

_Ienzo, whether luckily or unluckily, did not suffer the same fate. Some part of his mind managed to resist Pluto's psychological assault, and he moved enough so that he evaded most of the final blow. The black blade still managed to reap through his side though. More lifeblood cascaded onto the floor. 'That's going to be an absolute pain to clean up,' the back of his mind thought. The shock of Pluto's mental attack had made him drop most of his scalpels, but his fingers gripped his last one till they went white. He seethed at the jackal, who was still appearing to be ignoring him. He was staring at Tails, or rather the two tailed fox's injuries. Ienzo couldn't see it, but there was a starved look in Pluto's eyes and every inch of him was recording this scene into his archives of victims. The boy didn't have long, that was certain. Pluto would relish these final moments of agony for him, although it would have been so much better if the child were still awake. _

_Pain and fury were driving Ienzo insane. He was about to make a final charge at Pluto when a third entity entered the equation. At the doorway, Cassie screamed. Both raven and jackal turned abruptly. Her eyes were wide with terror and fixated upon Tails' limp body. The headphones she'd been wearing to drown out the two genius' bickering still hung round her neck, the reason she hadn't made an entrance earlier. 'Shit!' Ienzo thought. 'Shitshitshitshitshit! This all happened so suddenly I forgot she was still here!'_

"_Cassie!" he yelled desperately at her. His voice sounded awfully horse to his own ears, all his usual confidence gone. A few specs of blood accompanied the words. "You have to get out of here! He's…"_

_Ienzo never got the chance to finish, as the black blade of the scythe penetrated through his diaphragm, lungs, sternum and spine in one stab. Pluto stood slightly crouched with the scythe leaning against his right forearm, left on its pole end. The wild dog's lips were drawn back to reveal his razor teeth, bared in a mocking, insane grin. Ienzo doubled over, all but vomiting blood out of his beak. "Damn it," he tried to say, but only managed to heave up more liquid. Cassie screamed again, the sound barely managing to reach Ienzo's imploding brain. Pluto turned away, then brought his scythe up over his head, ripping it out of the young scientist through his right shoulder. Ienzo stood stotic for a second, resisting gravity for a few seconds, then crumpled unceremoniously into his own red innards and said no more._

_Pluto was slightly disappointed with how easy it had been to dispatch of these earthlings. He'd had to basically hit himself for them just so it wasn't over instantaneously. But the look on the faces of those two the moment he'd decided to end it, that was just paradise. As was the one on this newcomer. She was frozen with fear from the sight. Pluto found this very common in inexperienced warrior, and was his greatest advantage over all opponents. Her eyes were wide and the pupils diluted to their full extent, her usual gold fur was matted with cold sweat after only a few seconds of terror, and she seemed paralyzed in place. Pluto inwardly chuckled. He hadn't even started on her, and already she was almost broken. As Pluto walked towards her, he replaced his scythe on his back. He wasn't going to need it._

_The click of his boots awoke her from her stupor. As he neared, she began to step back. Pluto assumed that she would flee, but she surprised him. Instead, after a few steps her confidence began to blossom, and she clipped a strange tube off her belt. With one touch it grew to over a meter. "Take one more step and I knock your block off," she growled, though her voice broke halfway through and removed a bit from the act. Pluto cocked his head curiously, but didn't even slow his pace. The hedgehog snarled at him, and swung the staff at his head. Pluto caught the strike on one wrist, then used it as a fulcrum and used his other had to flip the blunt weapon out of her hands. Disarmed, she attempted to punch him, but he knocked her hands aside and grabbed her throat._

_Now in skin contact, Pluto began to sift through her memories for information on his brother. The girl, Cassie was it, squirmed quite violently but could not break his grip. She made a few desperate kicks, one hitting its mark in his groin, before he mentally blocked any signals from reaching her legs. Much as he loved pain, such sensations as those were not pleasant upon his own person._

_Pluto began to grow confused, then angry as he went through the thoughts. His brother was out on some mission with Shadow to meet a new generation of Robotnic, finding that information had been no challenge. But as he went through her memories of his brother, he saw him doing things that were simply…out of character. He saw him being kind, generous, chivalrous, merciful. He saw him retreating, losing, failing. He saw him being weak. This man, who he had respected and aspired towards for eons, the favourite of their father, had become weak! It is impossible, unthinkable, even for him. The girl in his grip began to whimper as his rage flowed into her. This girl, this pathetic figure. Was this what Mercury had abandoned their father, their master for? It was Mercury's fault that he was dead, and now he dared to…to…to play around with this thing! Pluto saw, through Cassie's memories, Mercury caring for this weak, useless, THING! Whatever thoughts of respect Pluto still harbored for his brother died there._

_Pluto's usual emotionless face was contorted with rage as he looked upon the quivering gold hedgehog in his hand. To him, this teenager symbolized all his brother's new, pitiable personality. His brother cared for this thing, as he should have cared for his own family, and Pluto was going to destroy it. His fury talking form upon his face in a spiteful, wicked sneer, he reached up to his face and removed the tinted glasses that restrained the terror of his gaze, preparing to annihilate this girl's very being._

_Present_

Mercury handed Cassie's limp body over to Metal Sonic as reverently as he could, his eyes still fixed upon Pluto. The latter made no indication of attempting to stop them. The robot held her, his programming switching to a medical program, one he'd never used before, so that he could hold her without hurting her. "Duplicate yourself and get the others to a hospital," he ordered quietly.

"Acknowledgement: At once master." Metal activated his Robotic Reanimation system. Blue sparks leapt from his fingers to the wreckage on the ground, and soon two new, vaguely hedgehog shaped bodies stood, held together by magnetism. The two new bodies moved and tenderly picked up the mauled scientists, and the three moved towards the door. The true Metal turned its head as it reached the doorway. In some part of his mind not compressing rage, Mercury thought he detected some sort of confusion resonating from the robot, though its face gave away nothing. It was unusual confusion, as it seemed to be directed at itself, as if it was wondering why it was thinking what it was. He'd had that feeling a few times himself.

"Encouragement: We hope you will succeed master," it said. Then Metal was gone.

Mercury moved over to Sonic and put a hand on his shoulder. The blue hedgehog was uncharacteristically still. His fur had definitely darkened, and it was rustling, though there was no wind. It was like every inch of the hedgehog was restless, needing to run, needing to fight. Mercury looked at his younger brother. Such a mindset would not work against him. He was calculating, watchful, made up for his physical weakness by exploiting the weaknesses of others. "Sonic," he said gently. "Follow Metal." Sonic's head snapped round at him, and Mercury saw that this dark rage had spread even to his eyes.

"Why?" he growled. "You saw what this guy did to Tails! Do you think I'm going to just let him get away with that?"

"Of course not!" Mercury said, quietly but firmly. "But you're too angry to fight him." At that point it almost looked like Sonic was going to rip his head off, but he persisted regardless. "Pluto fights by turning people's minds against them. You go into this fight angry and you've already giving him the upper hand."

"I can break every bone in his body before he even sees me coming," Sonic said with a dark confidence. His fur was almost jet black now, and Mercury could see his eyes begin to disappear into pools of white. Sonic was losing himself to the darkness. On the other side of the room, Mercury saw Pluto's mouth twitch in amusement.

"Maybe, but the moment he's in contact with you he will destroy your mind. Your chances in this state are slim. I know how to fight him. I've done it before. Let me fight him alone and I will inflict enough pain on him for both of us!" Mercury was letting his mouth run a bit there, but he needed something to get Sonic to leave.

Sonic's body began to quiver a bit as he made up his mind. Then his fur began to lighten back towards its normal cobalt blue. Not all the way, but far enough so that it was obvious he was back in control. Sonic stood to his full height and began walking out, much slower than was natural to him indicating his inner struggle. As he did, he gave Mercury the thumbs up. "Make sure there's enough of him left for me to have some fun with afterwards, k!" Before he could reply, the hedgehog was gone with the wind.

Alone, the two brothers faced each other, their faces both mirrors of one another: fury masked behind a show of no emotion, except the mask was starting to crack. A wordless conversation passed between the two, a general acceptance that in this battle there would be no mercy, no retreat and only one survivor. Both drew their weapons, scythe and sword, their similar stances revealing what had, some time ago, been a relationship of master and student. Silently, elegantly, and wrathfully, the two charged one another. And the deadly dance began.

**Yes, more flashbacks and more fights. The next two chapters will probably be needed to finish off Shadow's battle and Mercury's. Next update coming…sometime soon.**

**Regards**

**A700**


End file.
